Three government servants who obtained employment by producing false medical certificates that they were cured leprosy patients, will now have to appeal to the authority concerned before April 13 to safeguard their jobs, as per a Madras High Court order.
C.Mahizhnan and two others had taken advantage of a G.O. of August 14, 1989 providing for appointment to cured leprosy patients as hospital workers, without reference to employment exchange. Enquiry conducted by the Director of Health revealed that 46 individuals secured appointment on the basis of cured leprosy patients’ certificates. Of them, 39 did not have signs of leprosy at any point of time.
The petitioners were already in service for the past 19 years. Suspecting the genuineness of cured leprosy patients certificates, the government initiated an enquiry in 1998 by constituting a medical team. As per the medical team’s report, the petitioners did not have any sign of leprosy at any time. The team categorically stated that the deformities mentioned in the cured leprosy patients certificate would not disappear even after proper treatment.
The three were dismissed from service on February 13 this year. The order said they could file appeals to the government within 90 days. They challenged the dismissal order before the High Court.
Disposing of the petitions, Justice K.K.Sasidharan observed that one had come across cases of securing public employment and admission in educational institutions by producing false community certificates. The Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) had now exposed a job racket involving medical officers in charge of leprosy hospital, Deputy Director of Health services and 46 people who secured employment based on false leprosy cured certificates.
He said it was not open to the court to analyse the material collected by the DPH including medical reports and conclude differently. Experts had examined the petitioners. The proper course now was to permit the them to file appeals.
