CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana high court has ruled that a character certificate cannot be denied to an Army aspirant solely on the ground that a criminal case is pending, especially when charges have not yet been framed against him. Justice Suvir Sehgal passed the order while allowing a petition by Ramanpreet Singh, who challenged the refusal of authorities to recommend his character certificate for selection as an Army Agniveer due to allegations of involvement in an abetment to suicide case at Jhander police station in Amritsar. The trial is pending and Singh is on bail.The candidate applied for a character certificate as part of the recruitment process for the Agniveer scheme. However, the certificate was “not recommended” by the competent authority citing pendency of the FIR. Challenging this decision, the petitioner argued that mere registration of a criminal case cannot amount to a finding of guilt.
