The Madras High Court Bench here on Tuesday restrained the State government from filling 17,190 vacancies for the post of worker and helper in anganwadis and mini-anganwadis across the State.
Justice T. Raja granted the interim injunction on a writ petition filed by a Dalit candidate, M. Meenalakshmi, 39, of Madurai, who said the Social Welfare Department was attempting to fill the posts without issuing a public notification calling for applications.
According to the petitioner, the government empowered the Collectors to enumerate the vacancies in their jurisdiction and fill them locally, thus paving the way for “nepotism, favouritism and political interference in the appointments.”
Senior counsel M. Ajmal Khan, appearing for the petitioner, said it was axiomatic for the State to issue a public notification, listing the number of vacancies and the extent of reservation and age relaxation, before filling vacancies in government departments. However, in the present case, the “fair and transparent” procedures required to be followed for public employment had been given the go-by, and the Collectors were empowered to fill the vacancies by just getting news items printed in the local editions of vernacular newspapers.
He also pointed out that no government job could be filled on the basis of marks awarded in interviews since “nowadays, it is not uncommon to come across appointments being made on the basis of extraneous considerations.”
