In line with an order of the Madras High Court, the State government has issued specific instructions to appointing authorities in the State to verify whether government employees seeking to alter the date of birth had completed the stipulated age when they appeared for the SSLC examination.
According to a recent Government Order, such government employees should have completed 15 years of age when they appeared for the SSLC exams up to 1977 and 14 years for SSLC exams held from 1978 onwards.
Procedure laid down
Section 59 of the Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016 and an official communication of June 23, 2004 have so far laid down the procedure to be followed for government employees to alter their date of birth.
In a judgment delivered in July last year in R. Santhoshkumar Vs. State of Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court directed the Chief Secretary to issue a circular to all government departments to ensure that an employee seeking alteration of date of birth is eligible to take up SSLC exam based on his/her correct date of birth. “If action is taken to cancel appointment of employees seeking alteration of date of birth, in case the employee has not attained the minimum age to take up the qualifying examination from the School, there is a possibility of reduction of cases seeking alteration of date of birth,” the judge had observed.
