Latest news with #ServiceRules
The Hindu
31-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
DME issues show cause notice to whistleblower doctor
The Director of Medical Education has issued a show cause notice to the whistleblower doctor, Haris Chirackal, the Head of Urology at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College hospital who went public about the grave inadequacies in the MCH affecting patient care, on why action should not be taken against him for criticising the government in violation of the Kerala Government Servants' Conduct Rules 1960 and thus causing disgrace to the government. Dr. Chirackal had on June 27, in a FB post, expressed his anguish and helplessness about having to abandon an elective surgical procedure in the eleventh hour, because of the unavailability of an equipment accessory. He had been running from pillar to post for months, trying to persuade the hospital development society to buy this accessory, to no avail. The notice says that the four-member committee which was later instituted by the government to enquire into the issues raised by Dr. Chirackal, had also pointed out the violation of Service Rules on the part of Dr. Chirackal, when he openly spoke to the media about the systemic issues at Medical College . It accuses Dr. Chirackal of never informing the Principal or the Superintendent about the grave nature of the shortage of equipment accessories which could end up in the disruption of surgeries, other than mentioning the issue in two earlier letters he had sent to the authorities. The show cause notice mentions that the experts' committee had noted that the very same surgery that Dr. Chirakkal said had been disrupted in his department because of a shortage of equipment, was performed by another doctor in the same department the next day itself. It accuses Dr. Chirackal of spreading falsehoods and thus causing disgrace to the institution. Dr. Chirackal, later talking to the media, said that the show cause notice was part of a routine official procedure and that he was not too worried about it. He said that he would be giving his reply in writing, directly to the Additional Chief Secretary (Health) He added that he stood by whatever he had said earlier about the systemic issues and that even after his FB post went viral and hit headlines, prompting the government to admit to 'the failure of the system', nothing had changed. He said that the situation of equipment/accessory shortage still continues in many departments in the Medical College and that he had nothing to fear because he had all the proof of the letters and communications he had sent to all authorities and Government, begging them to rectify the systemic issues that was delaying the procurement of equipment/accessory. About the expert committee's note that the disrupted procedure had been done in the Urology department the very next day, Dr. Chirackal said that there were three surgical units in Urology department and that he could only speak about the issues in the Unit that he headed. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association said that a show cause notice was a routine procedure and that the Association will intervene if matters went beyond this .
The Hindu
09-07-2025
- The Hindu
TTD suspends official for professing alien faith
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has suspended its Assistant Executive Officer A. Rajasekhar Babu, on charges of professing an alien faith, in violation of the declaration provided at the time of appointment to adhere to the Hinduism. It recently came to the notice of the TTD management that Mr. Babu regularly attended the church and prayed every Sunday in his hometown of Puttur in Tirupati district. 'It is nothing but the violation of the TTD norms, as he (Rajasekhar Babu) has not followed the code of conduct as an employee. He has acted irresponsibly as an employee representing a Hindu religious organisation,' a TTD release said. The employees, while joining the TTD service, are required to take an oath and sign a declaration that they will follow the Hindu Dharma and practise Hindu traditions only, in compliance with Rule 9 (vi) of the Service Rules issued in Revenue (Endowments-1), dated 24 October, 1989. The TTD's Vigilance department, which probed the issue, gathered evidence against Mr. Rajasekhar Babu and submitted a report, based on which the departmental action was initiated as per the rules. The TTD management, at its trust board meeting on November 18, 2024, resolved to surrender the non-Hindus working in the temple administration in various capacities to the government. According to a report made available in 2018, there are 44 employees of other religious faiths working with the TTD.
The Hindu
27-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
‘Maternity period has to be counted as part of bond period'
Granting relief to a doctor, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has held that the maternity period of 12 months has to be counted as part of the bond period and directed Thanjavur Medical College to return her certificates. The court was hearing an appeal filed by E. Krithikaa who obtained her MBBS degree in 2014. She was allotted a seat in MS (General Surgery) in Thanjavur Medical College for the academic year 2016-17 which was a three year course. As per the prospectus for admission to postgraduate courses in Tamil Nadu Government Medical Colleges (2016-19), the candidate should sign a bond for a sum of ₹40 lakh with an undertaking that he/she would serve the State for a period of not less than two years. In addition, the candidate was required to submit the original educational certificates to the medical college. The appellant had signed the bond and also submitted her original certificates. After the appellant obtained her PG degree, she was appointed as Assistant Surgeon at Thittakudi Government Hospital in 2019. She reported for duty and served in the hospital for 12 months. Following her pregnancy, she went on maternity leave. Since she had served the government only for 12 months and not for 24 months of bond service, the hospital authorities declined to return her original certificates. A Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and K. Rajasekar observed that the condition set out in the prospectus has to give way to the rights conferred on women under the provisions of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. The Supreme Court declared that women have a fundamental right to benefits arising out of the situation of maternity. Maternity leave was integral to maternity benefit and forms a facet of Article 21 of the Constitution. The court observed that the appellant no doubt is not a government employee. She is only obliged to render bond service to the government for two years. But a regular State government employee is entitled to avail maternity leave for 12 months as per the amended Service Rules. The appellant was also entitled to the very same treatment applicable to any government employee. The fact that she was only in the service of the government without being a regular employee is irrelevant. When the fundamental right of the appellant is involved, she is entitled to the protective umbrella of not only Article 21 but also Article 14. Applying the legal fiction laid down in Kavita Yadav case, the appellant must be taken to have served the government even during her maternity period. In other words, the maternity period of 12 months has to be counted as part of the bond period, the court observed.
The Hindu
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
When Nizam-era Hyderabad ensured pilgrimage parity
In 1934, the Hyderabad State used to grant six months of paid leave to employees of the Nizam's government to undertake pilgrimages to Islamic holy sites such as Mecca and Medina (in present-day Saudi Arabia), Mashhad (in Iran), and other significant places like Najaf, Karbala, and Baghdad (in present-day Iraq), as well as Jerusalem. This privilege was rooted in the Service Rules, which formally permitted such leave for religious duties. The policy came under review when Ram Swaroop Tandon, a Hindu employee in the Nizam's administration, submitted a petition seeking similar leave for a pilgrimage. His request triggered internal deliberations across departments, raising important questions about the existing rules, the need for equitable treatment of employees from different faiths, the religious diversity of Hyderabad State and the geographical realities of pilgrimage in India. A file preserved at the Telangana State Archives and Research Institute (TSARI) details how the petition was handled. It was first examined by the Law Department and later referred to the Finance Department. The latter noted that, according to the Service Rules, Muslim employees were explicitly permitted to avail leave for pilgrimages to Mecca for Haj, Medina for the Prophet's Mosque, and Shia holy sites such as Najaf, Karbala, and Baghdad, apart from Jerusalem. 'Given that Jerusalem was mentioned, it was noted that Christians and Jews in the Nizam's employ could also make use of this concession. When Tandon's request came, the government took up his case and decided to grant leave to Hindus on similar lines. It was noted that pilgrimage locations within India — Badrinath, Puri Jagannath, Rameshwaram, Dwarkanath, Prayag, Kashi and Gaya, were tough to reach,' Zareena Parveen of TSARI, who studied the file, said. The file shows that Gangotri and Yamunotri were also considered as pilgrimage sites. The deliberations, recorded in the file, dwelt upon modes of transport, and connectivity by means of railways, to reach these pilgrimage sites. For, the railway line took one only up to Haridwar. At best, a person could walk 10 miles a day. This, from a total journey of around 835 miles, the file notes. 'The six-month leave was made available for all personnel of para military forces for a very long time,' says. 'However, the rule was not made available for other government servants in civilian roles. The time taken to walk over the difficult and hilly terrain was also spoken about in detail.' At that time, the Prime Minister was Maharaja Kishen Pershad, a Punjabi Khatri. A council, including Pershad, convened and resolved to bring about the legislation which would allow Hindu employees to make yatras. In July 1934, a firman was issued amending the Service Rules, officially granting Hindu employees six months of leave with advance salary to undertake religious yatras.
