The Hindu : National : Order cancelling appointment of Kendriya Vidyalaya Principals stayed

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Thursday, Nov 25, 2004

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National

Order cancelling appointment of Kendriya Vidyalaya Principals stayed

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, NOV. 24. A Central Government order, cancelling the appointment of 10 Principals of Kendriya Vidyalayas in Tamil Nadu, was stayed by the Chennai Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) today.

The Bench comprising the Tribunal Vice-Chairman, Sathi Nair, and Member, Santhappa, stayed the impugned order passed by the Union Human Resources Development Ministry on November 18 and issued a notice to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and the Ministry. The matter was then posted to December 7 for further hearing. The applicants contended that the impugned order did not contain proper reasons and were not preceded by any show-cause notice or hearing. "It merely stated that on an examination of materials on record and recruitment rules the KVS Chairman [the Union HRD Minister] had found that their appointments were in violation of rules and were therefore void and non est in law."

The applicants further said that the orders did not throw light on the basis on which it had been concluded that their appointment as Principals were void.

"The order is clearly arbitrary, unreasonable and violative of all established norms of service and jurisprudence," they said.

"The entire exercise of cancelling the appointment of over 300 Principals has been embarked upon in a spirit of political vindictiveness which is out of place in matters of public appointments, particularly educational institutions," they said, adding, "all the appointments which are sought to be cancelled have been made during the tenure of the previous Chairman, who belonged to the National Democratic Alliance Government. The order is tainted with malafide and it is a clear case of colourable exercise of power," they added.

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