Madras HC revokes health official charges and orders promotion

Madras HC has revoked a charge memo issued to a health department official in order to prevent his promotion in favor of the Health Minister’s personal assistant.

Chennai: The Madras HC has overturned a charge memo issued to a health department official in order to prevent his promotion in order to favor the Health Minister’s personal assistant, and has ordered the concerned authorities to promote him to the position of Deputy Director.

Justice N Sathish Kumar recently issued orders on a petition filed by K Ananthajothi, who serve with a charge memo on February 18, 2023, on the flimsy grounds of appointing two cooks in violation of the rules while working as an administrative officer at Villupuram Govt Medical College Hospital.

When the seniority list for promotion to the post of DD was release on March 13, 2023, his name was remove, and Ramesh Kumar, the senior PA to Tamil Nadu Health Minister, was add in his place. He later promoted to the position.

Ananthajothi filed the petition in order to have the charge memo revoke and to promote. In his order, the judge stated, “All the circumstances make it clear that such charge memo was issue with bald allegations to satisfy somebody without applying the provisions of 17 B of Tamil Nadu Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules.”

He stated while revoking the charge memo that the charge is the result of some malafide action and that it cannot be sustain in the eyes of the law and that it is liable to set aside.