The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Court directive to Government

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Court directive to Government

Special Correspondent

Appoint lecturers before start of academic year: High Court

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Government to complete recruitment of 1,000 Junior Grade Lecturers for Government colleges in the State before the commencement of academic year 2006-07.

(According to the Advocate-General, N.R. Chandran, these Junior Grade Lecturers would be paid a consolidated salary of Rs. 6,000 a month for a period of six years. After the completion of the six-year period they would be eligible for regular University Grants Commission-prescribed pay scale.)

A Division Bench comprising Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla and Justice K. Suguna also asked the Government to complete regular recruitment of another 763 Junior Grade Lecturers before next academic year 2007-08. "We reiterate that the recruitment of the remaining 763 posts on a regular basis should be completed on or before April 30, 2007," the judges said.

The matter relates to a petition filed by the Government seeking modifications to a First Bench order delivered in July 2005. The earlier order, admonishing the Government for paying "paltry" sum as remuneration to lecturers, effectively restrained it from appointing ad hoc lecturers to Government colleges for hourly or daily or consolidated wages.

The First Bench comprising the then Chief Justice Markandey Katju and Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla also said: "Even a peon in Government service often gets more than Rs. 4,000 a month," adding, "no guest lecturers or ad hoc lecturers will be appointed or continued after March 31, 2006."

However, citing financial constraints, the Government moved the present modification petition. Arguing the matter, the Advocate-General submitted that the Government would be able to recruit 1,000 Junior Grade Lecturers before the coming academic year and that the remaining 763 posts would be filled up by next year.

Accepting the suggestion, the judges said existing guest lecturers, who were in service since 2000, could be accorded necessary age relaxation, if required, to enable them to compete with other candidates for the regular posts on offer.

As on date, against the sanctioned strength of 4,966 teacher posts in 67 Government colleges, 1,763 are lying vacant.

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