The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed UT Director-General of Police to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the missing envelope containing recommendations made by a Selection Committee at the Central University of Punjab and ascertain “under whose custody the said envelope was”. The DGP has been directed to report back to the Court within a week.The direction by Justice Pravindra Singh Chauhan came on a petition concerning non-declaration of the result of interviews held for the Department of Computer Sciences in September 2022. The Court also directed that “one post be kept reserved” and adjourned the matter to November 12Appearing on petitioner Ajay Singh Verma’s behalf, counsel Saurabh Arora contended that the Central University of Punjab had issued an advertisement for interviews in 2022 and that the petitioner had been waiting since then for the final result to be declared.Arora referred to the minutes of a special meeting of the Executive Council held on October 20, 2022, in which the declaration of the result by the Department of Computer Sciences, following interviews held on September 27, 2022, was discussed.The Court recorded it was decided that the matter be kept in abeyance and that the Selection Committee’s recommendation be “placed in sealed cover”. The petitioner further alleged that “thereafter, on various occasions matter was deliberately delayed.”Justice Chauhan observed the petition was taken up on September 30, when the Court specifically sought an explanation from the respondents as to why the result had not been declared “even after a delay of four years”. Counsel for the respondents sought time to obtain instructions.Justice Chauhan added the counsel for the respondents, during the course of resumed hearing, told the Court that the envelope containing the Selection Committee’s recommendations was “untraceable”. Taking a note of the submissions, the Bench asserted: “This response of the respondent — University is not only creating doubt about the intentions of the respondents, but also nothing has been put forth in the said communication as to why this envelope containing the recommendations of the Selection Committee is missing.”Referring to the background of the case, Justice Chauhan asserted the Court deemed it to be appropriate to send the matter to the Director-General of Police, Chandigarh, “With the direction to conduct a preliminary enquiry regarding the missing envelope containing the recommendations of the Selection Committee and to ascertain as to under whose custody the said envelope was and to report back to this Court within a period of one week.”The case will now come up for further hearing on November 12.