A visually impaired officer has been appointed the vice-principal at the Punjab jail training school, Patiala, in an alleged violation of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).

Eyebrows were raised on Amarjit Singh’s appointment, ordered by the Home Department on June 30, as many other “eligible” officials were allegedly ignored in the recruitment process.

A few months ago when he was posted as the Deputy Superintendent at the Ferozepur jail, he was assigned “active duty” as the in charge of a factory in the jail. Sources said the “active duty” assigned to him was a violation of ESMA. “It will be difficult for a visually impaired officer to impart arms training and explain jail duties to newly recruited officers. Though we are not against him, there is no provision under ESMA for appointing such an officer to a key post in the department,” said officers in the jail department.

The state Jail Department has promoted Amarjit Singh (51) to the Deputy Superintendent, Jails, on March 31. He neither passed the departmental examination nor did he reportedly appear before the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for elevation to the post of Deputy Superintendent.

The medical examination of the officer by a medical board on April 6 — a day after Amarjit’s elevation — found that he was “permanently visually handicapped and his disability was 100%”.

“The Additional DGP (jails) office recommended him. Before I ordered his appointment on June 30, his file went to Punjab Jails Minister Sohan Singh Thandal. They must have given it a thought before raising his name,” Principal Secretary Home (Jails) Sanjay Kumar said. Amarjit Singh said he was fit enough to work at the post.