Date:13/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/13/stories/2007101362900900.htm

New Delhi

Supreme Court extends stay on High Court judgment

J. Venkatesan

Regularisation of 211 health inspectors

Apex court issues notice to respondents
Directs listing of SLP for further hearing after four weeks

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday extended its stay on a Madras High Court judgment directing the State Government to regularise 211 health inspectors with consequential promotion and other benefits in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

A Bench of Justice A.K. Mathur and Justice Markandey Katju extended the stay for six weeks on a special leave petition filed by the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, challenging the High Court judgment dated July 13.

The Bench, after hearing State Advocate General R. Viduthalai and Additional Advocate General N. Kannadasan, issued notice to the respondents and directed listing of the SLP for further hearing after four weeks.

By the impugned judgment, the High Court had directed regularisation of 211 petitioners in 12 weeks with retrospective effect.

It said those already in service should also be regularised from the date on which they acquired the qualification (sanitary inspector certificate course) and given monetary benefits.

Assailing the judgment, the SLP stated that if the order were to be implemented, the Government was bound to pass orders of retrospective regularisation, consequential promotions and monetary benefits in respect of 1,500 similarly placed persons, though vacancies were not available at the relevant point of time.

Cost to exchequer

Further, it would cost the exchequer Rs.30 crore, it said, and sought quashing of the impugned judgment and an interim stay on its operation till the disposal of the SLP.