THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A doctor who had taken leave without pay for higher studies and was facing dismissal from service for alleged ‘unauthorised absence’ was reinstated in service following an order of the Kerala Administrative Tribunal.
Dr Sakhil Raveendran, a native of Aluva, has been re-appointed in the health service, health secretary Dr Rajan Khobragede informed KAT division bench on Wednesday.
Dr Sakhil applied for leave without pay for a year for doing higher studies abroad in November, 2018, while working as assistant surgeon in family health centre, Vattavada, in Idukki district. But, his leave application was rejected on technical grounds. When he filed an application in November, 2019 expressing his willingness to rejoin after furnishing a bond as required by the health department, the application was rejected.
Dr Sakhil had approached the KAT through advocate Vazhuthacaud Narendran. In February, this year, KAT ordered to reinstate Sakhil immediately but the health department ignored the order. In a contempt of court petition filed by Sakhil, the KAT ordered on September 10 that the health secretary should appear in person and clarify about non-compliance on Wednesday.