The Madras High Court has granted an interim stay on a GO, which transferred a forester of the State government twice in 15 days.
When the matter came up for hearing before the vacation bench, Justice R. Mahadevan granted an interim stay on the transfer and further ordered issue of notice to senior Forest Department officials.
Petitioner A.S. Dharani, a forester, submitted that he was issued a memo after illegal cutting down of trees were reported in Gudiyattam Range on April 8. Despite his explanation to the authorities on April 22, he was transferred to Peranambut Range.
The petitioner was relieved from service on April 29 from Gudiyattam and he reported for duty in Peranambut on May 1On May6, he was transferred to Villupuram for administrative reasons, a move he claimed was in violation of a transfer policy of the Personnel and Administrative Department dated April 7, 1999.
Claiming that the transfer order had a mal fide motive to cause trouble to him, the petitioner alleged that there was no any administrative ground for transfer.
He further claimed that he had to take care of a mentally ill brother and a daughter with severe eye ailment and his representation to authorities on May 13 against the transfer was not responded to.
