The Madras High Court Bench here has directed School Education Department and the Accountant General to take immediate steps to settle terminal benefits of a school teacher who had become medically invalid to hold the post after an open skull surgery.
Disposing of a writ petition filed by the teacher’s husband who claimed that she was in a vegetative state, Justice S. Vaidyanathan said: “The Government Advocate… has agreed that the wife of the petitioner is one foot to the graveyard and that the benefits if any should be settled to her.” He directed the School Education Department to forward necessary proposal for releasing the terminal benefits to the Accountant General who, in turn, was ordered to pass appropriate orders and release the money within 10 days from the date of receipt of the proposal.
In his affidavit, the writ petitioner I. Yesudhas said that his wife T. Alphonse was serving as a teacher in a Government Higher Secondary School at Nattalam in Vilavancode taluk of Kanyakumari district when she suffered from hypertension and underwent carniectomy, a neurosurgical procedure.
She also underwent a tracheal surgery and remained bedridden since then. The doctors declared her medically invalid for any kind of government service and hence an application was made to allow her to retire from service on account of invalidation owing to health disorder.
Claiming that the officials concerned did not pass any order on the application, the petitioner had approached the court seeking a direction to the officials to grant all service benefits, including monthly pension, along with interest at the rate of 24 per cent per annum.
