The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : High Court pulls up transport corporations

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Monday, Oct 13, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

High Court pulls up transport corporations

K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI: Transport corporations are appointing persons as drivers and conductors without any reference to the number of vacancies notified and without following the communal reservation and the uniform mode of selection, the Madras High Court has said.

The corporations, being the State government undertakings, are bound to follow the government policies, it has said.

Passing orders on a writ petition by M. Ravi, seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Salem) to continue his employment, besides regularising his service pursuant to an interview held in May last year for the selection of conductors, Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar said the respondents’ attitude seemed to be that they were not bound by any law or the constitutional provisions. At least, in future, the government should ensure that the respondents followed its policies and did not violate the laws.

The petitioner said he belonged to the Most Backward Class. The transport corporation had employed him as a conductor on daily wage since September 2006.

He worked for more than 240 days a year. He attended the interview, but was not selected, though several of his juniors who had registered themselves in the employment exchange were appointed.

During arguments, counsel for the petitioner prayed that Mr. Ravi be appointed on the basis of the interview.

The judge said that in the light of a Supreme Court decision and having regard to the selection of candidates 10 times more than the vacancies (150) for which call letters for the interview were issued, the action of the transport corporation could not be justified.

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