CHENNAI: A PIL petition has been filed in the Madras High Court to prevent government officers from giving and receiving gifts on account of New Year’s eve or any other occasion or festival.A vacation bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and P T Asha, before which the PIL from A Sampath of Kil Arasampattu in Vellore district, came up for hearing on Monday, ordered notice to the State Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, the DVAC and others, returnable in two weeks.
According to the petitioner, a retired BDO, during the British regime, there existed the practice of offering gifts to senior officers on New Year. After Independence, it covered items like bouquets, shawls, expensive jewellery, gold coins and artefacts and even cash and included occasions like festivals. The higher officers, who accepted the totally inappropriate offers, were at risk of favouring the ‘donors’.This kind of practice was against Rule 3 of the TN Government Servants Conducts Rules, 1973.