The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday quashed the appointment of the Director of Medical Education (DME) and ordered that the petitioner, Revwathy Kailairajan, be appointed in his place as the DME along with consequential benefits.
Taking up the petition filed by S. Revwathy Kailairajan for hearing, Justice R. Mahadevan directed that the petitioner, who is currently working as Dean/Special Officer at the Karur Medical College, be appointed as the DME as she is eligible for the post. As per the existing Special Rules under the Tamil Nadu Medical Service Rules, the person should have over one year of service left for retirement, should have worked as Dean and have seniority in the Civil Medical List to be eligible for promotion to the post of DME.
Dr. Revwathy filed the petition after A. Edwin Joe, Dean, Coimbatore Medical College, was appointed the DME. The petitioner stated that the Health and Family Welfare Department had failed to consider the eligibility criteria fulfilled by her and that she was senior to Dr. Edwin Joe in the profession.
The court held that administrative delay in preparing the panel cannot deprive the petitioner of her promotion to the post of DME, and directed the Department of Health and Family Welfare to promote her.
