CHENNAI: Slamming the collusion between government officers and a woman, who had joined government service on compassionate grounds by forging documents, the Madras High Court has said corruption has penetrated into the blood of many government officials.
A division bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and AA Nakkiran made this observation while allowing a writ appeal filed by the TN health secretary and director of medical and rural health services against a single judge’s verdict converting the removal of service of a nurse into compulsory retirement.
Due to collusion between the officials and parties, the nurse’s appointment was favourably considered early, the bench said, adding that there is no evidence of whether action was taken against the person who issued a forged certificate.
“As corruption has penetrated into the blood of many government officials, the observation on this score made by the single judge cannot be interfered with as we are in entire agreement in this regard,” the judges said and turned down the order of the single judge converting the removal from service into compulsory retirement.
The matter pertained to the respondent, M Thamilselvi, getting appointed as a government nurse on compassionate grounds in Cuddalore after the death of her father, Subramaniam, a health assistant, on May 1, 1984. She had concealed the fact that her mother was working in the government service, and got a certificate from the Virudhachalam Tahsildar.
When the fraud came to light, the Health Department removed her from service, and she approached the Madras HC against the removal order.