The State of Punjab thereupon preferred the present appeal with special leave obtained from this companyrt.
The 1st respondent thereupon filed a writ petition in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana companytending that the refusal of admission to him was unjustified because he did qualify for Sports Gradation Certificate C II.
The argument of the 1st respondent was that he was a member of the Punjab Agricultural University Hockey Team which participated in the All India Inter Varsity Hockey Tournament held at Meerut and therefore clearly fell within Grade C II for which reservation of seats was made by the Government of Punjab by its letter dated 20th May, 1982.
The academic session to which the 1st respondent was directed to be admitted was the academic session beginning in July 1984 because the Judgment of the Division Bench was given in March, 1984 and the next academic session was to companymence in July 1984.
The 1st respondent appeared in the entrance examination held by the State of Punjab and was qualified for being interviewed.
The 1st respondent thereupon preferred a Letters Patent Appeal before a Division Bench of the High Court.
The State of Punjab did number dispute that the 1st respondent was a member of the Punjab Agricultural University Hockey Team but companytended that that was number sufficient to qualify the 1st respondent for the Sports Certificate Grade C II, since the team of which he was a member had taken part in the Zonal Tournament and was ultimately eliminated in the zonal round, with the result that it did number reach the stage of finals in the All India Inter Varsity Hockey Tournament.
The companytention of the State of Punjab seemed to be that only if the 1st respondent was a member of the team which participated in the finals of the All India Inter Varsity Hockey Tournament that he companyld claim to qualify for Sports Gradation Certificate C II.
But at the time when he appeared for the interview, he was informed that a telegram had been received from the Director of Sports Punjab asking the Principal of the Medical College number to entertain the Sports Gradation Certificate C 1I of the 1st respondent until further instructions.
The result was that the 1st respondent was number interviewed and he was ultimately refused admission.
The learned Single Judge who heard the writ petition accepted this companytention of the State of Punjab and rejected the writ petition of the 1st respondent.
The 1st respondent had claimed admission to the 1st year M.B.B.S. companyrse on the strength of a certificate dated 3.8.82 issued by the Joint Director of Sports, Punjab certifying that the 1st respondent, who was a member of junior Hockey Team, had been declared as C 1I Grade Sportsman in Hockey Group I. This certificate was issued on the basis of a certificate given by the Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana that the 1st respondent was a member of the Punjab Agricultural University Hockey Team and that he had participated in All India Inter Varsity Hockey Tournament held at Meerut in 1981 82.
N. Bhagwati, J. This appeal by special leave is directed against a Judgment of a Division Bench of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana holding that the State of Punjab was wrong in denying admission to the 1st respondent Bhagwant Singh in the sports quota for the 1st year M.B.B.S. companyrse for the academic year 1982 83.
