CAT directs PGI Chandigarh to consider 35-year-old candidature for post of lecturer

Chandigarh: In a recent order, the Central Administrative Tribunal Bench has directed the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) to consider the application of a 35-year-old candidate for the post of lecturer in biostatistics since the position was opened for those between 18 and 30 years of age as an interim measure.

The complaint was filed by Ruby Rani, who stated that when she applied for the post in 2016, the advertisement issued by the institute called for applicants between 18 to 50 years old, which she was unable to clear. But when she again decided to apply for the same in 2022, the age limit was revised from 18 to 30 years old, and she called the move illegal and discriminatory.

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The tribunal noted that the recruitment notice, which prescribes the maximum age limit as 30 years, violates Regulation 37 of the '1967 Regulations', leading to an irreparable loss for the applicant if her candidature is not considered by the institute.

According to regulation 37 of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh Regulations, 1967, the maximum age limit for a candidate during recruitment to the institute are 50 years for teaching posts and 30 years for non-teaching posts. Meanwhile, the counsel for the institute also submitted that the regulation had not been altered so far, reports the Hindustan Times.

The tribunal, as an interim measure, directed PGIMER, the respondent institute to accept the offline application form of the applicant and asked them to consider her application along with those of other eligible candidates. It further told them to keep her results in a sealed cover considering the pending original application.

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