CHENNAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently directed that all government employees in the state should be able to read and write in Tamil and said it is essential for these employees to know the language of the respective state they work in.

According to a Maalaimalar report, the order follows a petition filed by Jayakumar from Kallipatti in Theni district.

The petitioner joined the Theni Electricity Board office as a junior assistant in 2018.

However, he failed to clear the Tamil exam conducted by TNPSC within 2 years of joining the job.

Following this, he was dismissed from the job as he did not fulfil the criteria of knowing how to read and write in Tamil. Subsequently, Jayakumar filed a case in Madurai Bench of Madras High Court  seeking to quash this order and reinstate him. Despite several judges upholding the TNEB's decision, Jayakumar filed another appeal in Madurai Bench of Madras High Court  that came up for hearing on Monday.

Judges who heard the case noted that most people from Tamil Nadu do not learn Tamil or clear the language exams.

"How can the petitioner continue in the Tamil Nadu government service without passing the Tamil language exam? Why does he study in the CBSE curriculum and come to the Tamil Nadu government service?," the bench questioned. The judges also wondered why people who do not know Tamil should be employed by the TN government.

Furthermore, the Court stated that it is essential for government employees of each state to know the language of their respective state.

The bench also categorically said that government employees in the state should be able to speak and write Tamil.

Following this, the case has been adjourned for six weeks.