R.L. Anand, J. - (1.) SHRI Raj Kumar son of Shri Ved Parkash, petitioner, has filed the present writ petition under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution of India against the State of Punjab, Director Public Instructions and Deputy Director, respondents No. 1 to 3, respectively, and it has been prayed by the petitioner that a writ in the nature of mandamus be issued against the respondents directing them to give admission to him in the Elementary Teachers Training (E.T.T.) diploma Course against the vacant seat as the petitioner was most meritorious.
(2.) THE case set up by the petitioner is that he is a Backward Class candidate. He falls in Ghumar caste. He did his graduation and thereafter he did M.A. in History from Guru Nanak Dev University as a private candidate. In the year 1997, the petitioner applied for E.T.T. Diploma course examination but the examinations were cancelled by the respondents. Finally, the examinations were held in November, 1997. In the year 1998, the respondent issued prospectus for conducting the E.T.T. Diploma Course for which examinations were held in January 1998 for admission for the year 1997 -1999. The petitioner applied for the same and appeared in the test of Diploma Course in January, 1998 under Roll Number 228571. The result was declared on 2.4.1998 and the petitioner was placed in the waiting list. It is the case of the petitioner that there were 100 seats in this Course in District Gurdaspur, out of which 5 per cent seats were reserved for Backward Classes. In this manner, five seats were supposed to be filled up from the Backward Classes candidates. Further break up of five seats is that 2 will go to the male category, two will go to the female category and one seat has to go to the person who is the most meritorious irrespective of the sex.
(3.) IN short, the case set up by the petitioner is that after giving two seats to the male category and two seats to the female category, he is the most meritorious and, the 5th seat of the quota of Backward Classes should go to him.;