Hectic lobbying for Assembly Secretary post as Boopathy’s term ends

Assembly Secretary K Boopathy, who replaced AMP Jamaludeen in May last, is retiring in February. Boopathy took guard as in-charge from Jamaludeen, who retired after an extended tenure on May 31 last and was subsequently given full saddle following concurrence from the then Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and Speaker Dhanapal.

When extension was provided to Jamaludeen, sources said it deprived the opportunity for two Additional Secretaries and a Joint Secretary from succeeding him and they retired without reaching the top post.

A source observed that a stiff opposition from the Assembly staff helped Boopathy ascend to the top post and it had also prompted an assurance from the Administration that the top post would be filled only on the basis of promotion of the existing staff.

The Tamil Nadu Secretariat Association has preferred a memorandum to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and demanded that an extension should not be given. The issue was settled following the intervention of the Speaker.

Citing that as a settled issue, the staff pointed out that the Speaker might look for a new Assembly Secretary to replace Boopathy.

Srinivasan, who is now on other duty and acting as private secretary to the Speaker has been recently promoted as Special Secretary and might get elevated to the top post.

Secretariat sources confirmed that Boopathy is set to retire in February end, and the process to appoint the next secretary will be set in motion soon. The source also maintained that the appointment would follow the due laid down norms for the appointment.