Court orders TNSTC to give retirement benefits

MADURAI: The Madras high court Madurai bench on Friday passed an order directing the state-run Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) to provide retirement benefits to its retired employees in 12 instalments. The division bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul passed the order on the writ appeals filed by 76 retired employees.

When the cases came up for hearing on Friday, the additional advocate general said the corporation is ready to disburse the benefits in 12 instalments.

Accepting it, the bench ordered the corporation to give the amount at the rate of 6% and said the instalment should commence from July onwards. The bench also said if there is any violation in the instalment, the corporation should give the amount at 18% interest rate.

It may be recalled that when the appeals came up for hearing on Thursday, the court came down heavily on the transport corporation and sought the government side to get instructions from the government regarding the disbursal of benefits.

Accordingly, it was done when the case came up for further hearing on Friday.

The appellants retired from service between 2012 and 2014. However, they were not provided retirement benefits and hence they filed petitions before the court bench praying its intervention in getting benefits. The single judge who had heard the matter passed an order on December 18, 2014 directing the transport corporations to disburse retirement benefits of the appellants at 6% interest in accordance with seniority.

Aggrieved over it, they filed appeals. When the appeals came up for hearing before the division bench headed by the CJ, the appellants' side said that the single judge should have directed the corporation to settle the terminal benefits within the timeframe. tnn

On Thursday, the court came down heavily on the department and sought the government side to get instructions from the government regarding the disbursal of benefits.

MCI permits Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College to raise students intake

SALEM: The Medical Council of India has permitted the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College in Salem to raise the intake of students -- from 75 to 100 -- starting this academic year.

According to medical college sources, they sent a proposal to the MCI in 2014. "Based on our request, an MCI team visited and inspected the college and the super specialty hospital a few months ago," said hospital sources.

The team submitted its report to the MCI based on which it issued orders on Friday.

As AC fails, Air India flyers force plane to return to Delhi

NEW DELHI: A Goa-bound Air India (AI) flight was on Friday forced to return to Delhi after passengers protested failure of in-flight air conditioner after take off 35,000 feet above the ground.

"There was severe suffocation inside the aircraft, with the rear section being the worst off. Many passengers had trouble breathing and they shifted to the front rows to reduce their suffering," said a passenger.

The cabin crew tried to pacify the agitated passengers, but they demanded to see the commander.

Given the heated situation, the crew called the captain out of the cockpit to prevent things from going out of hand.

The flyers sternly told the commander to immediately turn the plane back to Delhi as they refused to fly all the way to Goa in the sweltering and suffocating aircraft.

The commander then flew back to Delhi and landed under emergency conditions in just over an hour after the plane had taken off.

READ ALSO: AI flight develops 'snag', makes unscheduled landing at Chennai

Security personnel were present at the aerobridge when the plane docked as the flyers were extremely agitated.

"AI 867 took off from Delhi on Friday morning with 168 passengers onboard. The AC of this plane had a snag and it returned to IGI Airport at 7 am,'' said an Air India spokesperson.

"Passengers did complain of some inconvenience during the flight. After returning to Delhi, they were served refreshments and sent to Goa at 9am on another aircraft."

READ ALSO: Air India cabin staffer molested by her male colleague

AC failures are among the most common problems AI's fleet of over 25-year-old Airbus A-320s has faced.

Friday's episode reportedly happened in the 1989 made A-320 VT-EPG, which is one of the oldest commercial planes flying in India.

The airline's pilot union has petitioned authorities to ask the airline not to fly old A-320s. But they have not decided so far on their plea.

AI has been trying to replace these old planes with new leased A320s in all-economy seating configuration for a while now.

READ ALSO: Air India plane grounded in Delhi as rats run riot

Several cases of AC failures on old and poorly-maintained aircraft have been reported this summer. Last month, a woman passenger fainted inside a taxing SpiceJet aircraft in Delhi before take off when the AC of this leased aircraft failed.

எம்.பி.பி.எஸ். கலந்தாய்வு: கடந்த ஆண்டு மாணவர்களின் பங்கேற்பு இறுதி உத்தரவுக்கு கட்டுப்பட்டது

சென்னையில் வரும் 19-ஆம் தேதி முதல் நடைபெற உள்ள எம்.பி.பி.எஸ். கலந்தாய்வில் கடந்த ஆண்டு பிளஸ் 2 முடித்த மாணவர்களை அனுமதித்து சேர்க்கைக் கடிதம் அளித்தால், அது வழக்கின் இறுதி உத்தரவுக்குக் கட்டுப்பட்டதாகும் என சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றம் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை தெரிவித்தது.
சென்னை ஓமந்தூரார் அரசு மருத்துவக் கல்லூரி அரங்கில் வரும் 19-ஆம் தேதி முதல் 25-ஆம் தேதி வரை எம்.பி.பி.எஸ். முதல் கட்ட கலந்தாய்வு நடைபெற உள்ளது.
இந்தநிலையில், சென்னை நந்தனத்தைச் சேர்ந்த டாக்டர் நல்லி ஆர்.கோபினாத் உள்பட 60-க்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில் தாக்கல் செய்த மனு விவரம்:
இந்த ஆண்டு (2015-ஆம் ஆண்டு) பிளஸ் 2 தேர்வு எழுதிய மாணவர்களை மட்டுமே நிகழ் கல்வியாண்டுக்கான (2015-16) எம்.பி.பி.எஸ். கலந்தாய்வில் அனுமதிக்க தமிழக அரசுக்கு உத்தரவிட வேண்டும்.
ஏனெனில், இந்த ஆண்டு பிளஸ் 2 தேர்வு கடினமாக இருந்ததால், மிகவும் குறைவான மதிப்பெண்கள்தான் பெற முடிந்தது. கடந்த ஆண்டில் முக்கியப் பாடங்களில் ஏராளமான மாணவர்கள் அதிக மதிப்பெண்கள் எடுத்திருந்தனர். கடந்த ஆண்டை ஒப்பிடும்போது, இந்த ஆண்டு எம்.பி.பி.எஸ். படிப்பில் சேருவதற்கு உரிய உயிரியல், இயற்பியல், வேதியியல் ஆகிய பாடங்களில் 200-க்கு 200 மதிப்பெண்கள் பெற்றவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை மிகவும் குறைவு.
இயற்பியல் பாடத்தில் கடந்த ஆண்டு 2,710 பேர் முழு மதிப்பெண்கள் (200-க்கு 200) பெற்றனர். ஆனால், இந்த ஆண்டு 124 மாணவர்கள்தான் முழு மதிப்பெண்கள் பெற்றுள்ளனர். இதேபோன்று, இதர இரு பாடங்களிலும் (உயிரியல், வேதியியல்) கடந்த ஆண்டைக் காட்டிலும் இந்த ஆண்டு குறைவான மாணவர்களே முழு மதிப்பெண்கள் பெற்றுள்ளனர்.
பாதிப்பு ஏற்படும்: கடந்த ஆண்டில் அதிக மதிப்பெண்கள் எடுத்த மாணவர்களை, வரும் 19-ஆம் தேதி நடைபெற உள்ள எம்.பி.பி.எஸ். கலந்தாய்வில் அனுமதித்தால் நிகழ் ஆண்டில் பிளஸ் 2 முடித்த மாணவர்கள் பாதிக்கப்படுவர். இதை சம வாய்ப்பு எனக் கருத முடியாது. நிகழாண்டு மாணவர்களுக்கு அநீதி இழைத்ததாக ஆகிவிடும். கடந்த ஆண்டு விடைத்தாள் மதிப்பீட்டுக்கும், இந்த ஆண்டு விடைத்தாள் மதிப்பீட்டுக்கும் வேறுபாடு உள்ளது. அவர்களை கலந்தாய்வுக்கு அனுமதித்தால், அவர்கள்தான் அதிகம் நன்மை பெற வழிவகுக்கும்.
கடந்த ஆண்டு மருத்துவப் படிப்பில் இடம் கிடைக்காத மாணவர்கள் வேறு படிப்பில் சேர்ந்து, அதை நிறுத்திவிட்டு மருத்துவக் கலந்தாய்வுக்கு வரக்கூடும். இதனால் ஒருவருக்கு மட்டும் பாதிப்பு அல்ல, நிகழாண்டு மாணவர்கள் அனைவருக்கும் பாதிப்பாக அமைந்துவிடும். எனவே, கடந்த ஆண்டு பிளஸ் 2 முடித்த மாணவர்களை இந்த ஆண்டு மருத்துவக் கலந்தாய்வில் அனுமதிக்க கூடாது என தமிழக அரசுக்கு உத்தரவிட வேண்டும் என மனுவில் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தனர்.
இந்த மனு நீதிபதி எம்.சத்தியநாராயணன் முன் விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது. மனுவை விசாரித்த நீதிபதி, எம்.பி.பி.எஸ். கலந்தாய்வில் கடந்த ஆண்டு பிளஸ் 2 முடித்த மாணவர்களை பங்கேற்க அனுமதித்து சேர்க்கை கடிதம் அளித்தால், அது இந்த வழக்கின் இறுதி உத்தரவுக்குக் கட்டுப்படும் என உத்தரவிட்டார். மேலும் ஜூலை 8-ஆம் தேதிக்கு வழக்கை ஒத்திவைத்தார்.

Mother of twins cannot be denied second maternity leave

The Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday stayed the operation of an order passed by Ramanathapuram Chief Educational Officer on April 9 for recovering salary paid to a government school teacher during her second maternity leave since it came to light that the woman had given birth to twins in her first delivery itself.

Justice S. Vaidyanathan granted the interim stay after observing that the number of babies delivered by a woman during her first pregnancy could not be cited as a reason to deny her paid maternity leave for the second delivery.

He said such leave could be restricted to number of deliveries and not number of babies begotten during those deliveries.

“If the rationale behind not granting paid maternity leave to women government servants, who already have two surviving children, was to promote the concept of a family not having more than two children, then what will you do if the woman had begotten triplets or quadruplets in the first delivery itself?” the judge asked a government counsel during the course of hearing.

He went on to state that the object of giving the benefit of paid maternity leave for first two deliveries was to help the women recover from physical stress and to take care of the new born.

When such was the case, it was not correct on the part of the government officials to contend that those who had begotten twins in first delivery could not be granted paid leave for second delivery.

Centre Told to Make Clear Stand on Medical Seats to Sri Lankan Refugees

CHENNAI: Madras High Court has directed the Centre to make clear its stand on whether it is inclined to make any provisions to allot medical seats for Sri Lankan refugees.

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice TS Sivagnanam passed the order on a petition from R Sri Priya, a practising advocate.

T Nandini, daughter of a refugee couple who came to Tamil Nadu in 1990 and settled down in the refugee camp at Arachalur, Erode district, had passed the Plus Two examination, scoring 1170 marks out of 1200.

She applied for admission to the MBBS course in Government Kilpauk Medical College and was called for counselling. But, her candidature was rejected as she was a Lankan refugee.

Based on news reports about her ordeal, the advocate moved the PIL seeking a direction to reserve seats for Sri Lankan refugees.

Responding to the PIL, Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan submitted that a communication from the Union Home Ministry about the existing scheme to accommodate candidates from friendly foreign countries including Sri Lanka, would not apply to children of refugees.

Recording the submission, the Bench directed the Central government to clarify its stand on providing medical seats to Sri Lankan refugees, in the context of the present case where the candidate was born and educated in India.

The matter was posted to June 26 for further hearing.

HC raps govt for sacking nurse days before retirement

CHENNAI: M C Gomathi Nayagi, a village health nurse in government service for 28 years, was served her dismissal order just 18 days before her retirement in last year. Reason: She does not possess the minimum required qualification of SSLC pass. Nayagi had failed in her SSLC examination in 1977, but joined service in 1986.

Ridiculing the Tamil Nadu government for having come up with a termination order after 28 years, Justice D Hariparanthaman said: "It is not in dispute that as per the recruitment rules, she should have passed SSLC. It is true that she did not pass SSLC. Having employed her for about 28 years, knowing very well that she did not pass SSLC, now she could not be terminated on the verge of her retirement by an innocuous order saying she did not pass SSLC at the time of appointment."

The judge said the government has been invoking Rule 48 of the Tamil Nadu State and Subordinate Service Rules and issuing many orders relaxing qualification in case the employee concerned did not possess the requisite qualification. "In this case, she rendered 28 years of service. Deputy director of health services in Vellore should have sent a proposal to the government seeking to relax her qualification. But, unfortunately, he sought to pass an order terminating her service," he said.

Holding that the termination order was violative of a person's fundamental right to life and equality, the judge said, "I have no hesitation to quash the order (at the admission stage itself)."

Consequently, Justice Hariparanthaman directed the deputy director of health services to send a proposal to relax the qualification of Gomathi Nayagi within 30 days. He shall also pass orders invoking his powers to relax qualifications of employees. The authorities should take into account the circumstances surrounding the present case, and pass orders within two weeks. Her terminal benefits, including pension, shall be settled within eight weeks thereafter, the judge said.

The termination order was issued to her by the deputy director of health service in Vellore district on June 12, 2014, whereas she was scheduled to attain superannuation on June 30, 2014. She joined as village health nurse on September 24, 1986.