Giving relief to thousands of village-level welfare workers, the Madras High Court on Friday granted an interim stay of the operation of a Tamil Nadu government order disbanding the posts of Makkal Nala Paniyalargal (Staff for People's Welfare) and ousting them from their jobs.
Justice K. Suguna passed the orders on petitions by the Tamil Nadu Makkal Nala Paniyalargal Munnetra Sangam (TNMNPMS), Triplicane here, and the Dindigul Maavatta Makkal Nala Paniyalar Nala Sangam.
TNMNPMS general secretary M.Palani said his association had a membership of 13,000. There was every need for their services for better implementation of schemes, particularly the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The present staff strength in any panchayat union and village panchayat was not sufficient to cope with the maintenance of basic amenities.
The disbandment of all the posts of Makkal Nala Paniyalargal through an order on November 8 was an “arbitrary exercise of power which is coupled with political bias.” The reasoning in the impugned order -- that there was enough staff to look after the work being done by the Staff for People's Welfare -- was totally false. The communications and proceedings repeatedly issued by the government would establish that the petitioners' services were essential.
There was no plausible reason to disband the post immediately since there was already a sanction accorded up to May 31, 2012 for continuance of the association members.
Considering the totality of the circumstances and the need for the services of the workers, the government had passed a G.O. on June 1, 2009 bringing them under a special time scale of pay of Rs.2,500-5,000 plus grade pay of Rs.500.
In her order, Ms.Justice Suguna noted that that the appointments were valid up to May 31, 2012. In view of this, there would be an order of interim stay only in respect of the members of the petitioners' associations. Both associations should furnish their membership lists by 4 p.m. on November 12. In the event of failure to produce the lists, the stay order need not be given effect to, Ms.Justice Suguna said.
The court posted the matter for November 21.
