NBW issued against Gudalur BDO for contempt of court

Justice MS Ramesh, before whom the contempt petition came up, also directed the Nilgiris Superintendent of Police, to execute the same and produce BDO R Sivakumar before him on June 13. 

The matter pertains to a plea moved by P Chandran, who was appointed as headman for Padanthorai and Devala Village from October 4, 1980 to November 14, 1980. But owing to retrenchment and abolition of village headman posts, Chandran was appointed as Panchayat Assistant by the BDO. Subsequently, he was transferred to Masinakudi Panchayat where he retired on February 28, 2013. 

But during his service, he had sought promotion as per the 10% reservation provided to Junior Assistant posts for in-service candidates for which the eligibility was SSLC. Since the petitioner fulfilled this requirement, he made several representations to the BDO from 2004 to 2009. 

However, after his retirement, Chandran received a communication from the BDO on May 15, 2013, stating that since he had already retired, his request for promotion does not arise. Chandran challenged this by way of writ petition and the court set aside the BDO’s order and directed him to consider the representation within eight weeks. 

But despite a fresh representation being made on November 23, 2016 as the per the HC order, the BDO informed him that his promotion would be considered after obtaining necessary orders from TNPSC. Following this, Chandran moved a contempt petition that the BDO alone is the competent authority to decide on his promotion and that the said official has disobeyed the court order.