Chandigarh, Aug 12 (PTI): The Punjab and Haryana High Court has put a stay on the process to appoint 454 pharmacy officers in Punjab till the next date of hearing on September 17.

The stay order by Justice Sandeep Moudgil came on a plea filed by Keshav Kamboj and others, seeking the cancellation of the written examination conducted for the recruitment of 454 pharmacy officers under the department of health and family welfare in Punjab on July 19.

The plea contended that the exam was vitiated by an organised cheating racket.

Advocate K S Dadwal, appearing for some petitioners, submitted that the process of making the appointments had been stalled in view of the pendency of the present writ petition.

“Consequently, the appointment process for the posts of pharmacist, pursuant to the advertisement dated 11.06.2026 issued by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences for 454 posts, has come to a standstill,” he told the court.

Dadwal and the state counsel prayed for time to file replies.

On their request, the court deferred the hearing to September 17.

“In the meantime, the process of appointment to the posts of pharmacist shall remain stayed till the next date of hearing,” the high court said in its order dated August 10.

In an interim order passed on July 28, the court had directed that further selection process would be subject to the outcome of the present petition.

Punjab Police on July 19 dismantled a sophisticated, inter-state cheating racket operating during the pharmacy officers’ recruitment examination.

Police arrested several key conspirators and candidates involved in the racket, and seized 27 battery-operated wireless cheating devices from their possession.

Police had detected the use of pen cameras and real-time dictation during the exam.

The probe revealed that the cheating racket charged desperate candidates exorbitant sums ranging between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 13 lakh to guarantee passing marks.

Nearly 7,000 candidates appeared for the 454 pharmacy officer’s posts across 25 examination centres in Faridkot, Kotkapura and Ferozepur.

The examination was conducted by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences on behalf of the health and family welfare department.

The opposition parties had attacked the AAP government over the incident, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Balbir Singh. PTI CHS ARI

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