Chandigarh, Sept. 15 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has restrained Punjab government from proceeding further with recruitment of women firemen for state municipalities, a decision taken by the government to have women as firefighters.

"It is made clear that no further action in pursuance to the impugned order shall be taken by the respondents without leave of the court," the bench of justice Namit Kumar observed while fixing the next date of hearing for November 12.

The court was hearing a petition in which it was alleged that the government on August 12 changed the criteria of selection not only after issuance of advertisement in 2023 but also after the declaration of result in order "to accommodate" the persons who were found in...