Coming to the aid of a TANGEDCO employee, discharged from duty for failing to clear the mandatory Tamil examination, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Corporation to give him one more opportunity to clear the test.
The court was hearing the petition filed by M. Jaikumar of Periyakulam in Theni district, who joined service as Junior Assistant (Accounts) in 2018. Since he did not study Tamil in school, he was asked to clear TNPSC’s Tamil test within two years.
The petitioner, who took up the examination only in January 2020, failed to clear it. Hence, he was issued a show-cause notice and subsequently discharged. Therefore, he sought reinstatement.
Justice R. Suresh Kumar observed that in Tamil Nadu, Tamil was the official language and all government communication was in Tamil. Admittedly, TANGEDCO also adopted Tamil as the language of administration and communication.
Every employee of the Corporation must know Tamil, without which it might be difficult for them to cope with administrative exigencies. Though the petitioner had shown lethargy and disinterest in qualifying in Tamil, if his service was terminated abruptly, it would have an impact on his career, the judge said.
In order to balance the convenience of both sides without compromising on the essential condition, the court said, the petitioner should be given one more chance to clear the Tamil examination.
