MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a suo motu petition registered by the HC registry on the directions of a single judge on the ground that proper procedure was not followed.
The case was registered by taking cognisance of a letter written by Packiam Sikkandar of Madurai to the single judge seeking action against a registration department official in Thanjavur. The division bench of Justices Paresh Upadhyay and R Vijayakumar held that the single judge ought to have referred the matter to the Chief Justice, the appropriate authority.
"The foundation of this petition is that one Hon’ble Judge of this Court has taken cognizance of a complaint received by him in post from a person who himself is a dismissed employee on proved charges of corruption. The said complaint is ordered to be treated as a suo motu writ petition... It is not in dispute that such a petition needs to be listed before the Division Bench. The petition, however, was listed before the learned single judge," the bench said.
Since the suo motu petition was registered "....without any authorisation from the Hon’ble Chief Justice and in complete defiance of the prescribed procedure, and also listed the said petition for hearing in defiance of the Roster fixed by Hon’ble Chief Justice", the bench dismissed the case and quashed all consequential directions.
MAdras HC seeks details of file despatch
The Madras High Court asked the State government to furnish within a week details of the date and month of despatch of files regarding premature release of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case to the President by Tamil Nadu Governor. The First Bench then adjourned the petition by S Nalini, one of the convicts. Earlier, the AG told the court that the Governor had sent all such files to the President
Relief to three doctors
MADURAI: The Madurai Bench recently quashed the charge memos issued by the Director of Medical Education to three government doctors in March 2018 on charges of dereliction of duty while treating a remand prisoner in 2012 and contributing to the death of the prisoner. Since the prisoner was admitted on February 22, 2012 and he died within two days, they (the doctors) cannot be blamed, they contended.
Stay on HR&CE order
MADURAI: The Madurai Bench on Thursday stayed a recent communication issued by the commissioner of HR&CE department, which included several instructions for regulating temple dharshan queues and activities of Thirisuthanthirars (freelance archagas), among others.
A division bench passed the interim order on a PIL filed by Thiruchendur Shri Jeyanthi Nathar Thirisuthanthirars Kaariyasthar Sthaanigar Sabha.