CHENNAI: THE Madras High Court has stayed the operation of a recent order of the Rural Development and Panchayat department transferring the Joint Director/Project Director of the District Mission Management Unit, Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission, Perambalur district to some other post for not heeding the local MLA’s dictum.
Justice Satrughana Pujahari granted the relief while passing interim orders on a writ petition from S Devanathan on June 21 last. The petition sought to quash the transfer order dated June 11 last and issue directions to the authorities concerned to let him continue in the same post and station.
According to advocate M Ravi, Devanathan was promoted to the cadre of Joint Director of Rural Development in 2015 and posted as the Joint Director/Project Director of District Mission Management in February 16 this year in Perambalur.
While so, the process for identifying the beneficiaries under the Amma two-wheeler scheme for working women commenced and the local MLA R Tamilselvan had furnished his own list of persons to the petitioner’s predecessor, so as to select them as beneficiaries. As the petitioner could not accommodate them as they were ineligible, the MLA instigated the higher-ups to transfer him.
Among other things Ravi contended that the authorities ought to have taken into consideration that there was absolutely no lapse on the petitioner’s part and issuing such transfer order for not relenting to illegal demands, as a measure of vindictiveness will not only expose the officer to humiliation but also would demoralise other sincere officers.
Discharging duties without fear
The petitioner contended that a duty is cast upon the government to protect the sincere officers and provide an environment to enable them to discharge their duties without any fear