The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice to Haryana government and members of State Public Service Commission (HPSC) on a petition challenging the appointments made to Haryana Civil Services and allied services in January this year.

Local advocate Lalit Jain and four other candidates who had appeared in the examination had filed the petition yesterday submitting that "entire selection process was vitiated with malafide, favouritism and nepotism".

Justice Mahesh Grover ordered that the appointment of selected candidates shall be subject to the outcome of the writ petition.

Jain had contended that selected candidates included close relatives of atleast three out of five members of the HPSC, who were part of the selection committee.

"Not only this, close relatives of the Chief Minister Haryana, his wife, MPs and senior officers of the Haryana Government are also in the selection list," he alleged.

He brought to the notice of the court that though all the petitioners had secured more than 60 per cent marks in the written test but they scored 10 per cent to 25 per cent marks in the interview.

On the other hand most of the selected candidates who got below 60 per cent marks in the written test got around 80 per cent to 90 per cent marks in the interview, the advocate submitted and sought quashing of the entire selection process.

The Haryana government and others have been asked to submit their reply by April 6.