MADURAI
A batch of petitions was filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday seeking fresh counselling for transfer to fill vacancies of Assistant Surgeon (Speciality) posts. They wanted only eligible candidates on Civil Medical List seniority to be invited for counselling.
Justice P.D. Audikesavalu transferred the case to the principal seat in Chennai to be heard with similar petitions.
The petitions sought an injunction on the appointment of non-service candidates for the post of Assistant Surgeon (Speciality) as the appointments were made without following reservation or ascertaining the vacancies. The petitioners contended that the court had already dismissed a petition challenging the Civil Medical List seniority at the time of transfer counselling and selecting service postgraduate students. The court had held the procedure as valid.
The Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, and the Director of Medical Education had, without ascertaining the vacant positions, issued circulars inviting applications from medical officers working in the DME and other directorates for the posts of Tutors, Junior Residents, Senior Residents and Assistant Professors for different specialities in institutions, the petitioner said.
However, the recruitment board, without ascertaining the vacancies, had called applications for 744 posts of Assistant Surgeon and around 465 non-service candidates were appointed to the posts, which was in violation of rules, and in some cases specialists were deputed to irrelevant departments, claimed the petitioners.
