STATE AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE DIPLOMA HOLDERS ASSOCIATION THROUGH ITS SECRETARY V BALAKRISHNAN Vs. STATE OF TAMIL NADU, REP BY ITS SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This public interest litigation is filed by an Association called Unemployed Diploma Holders in Agriculture and Horticulture. About 4500 Diploma Holders in Agriculture and Horticulture have been waiting since 1988 for direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Agricultural Officer. They have no other employment avenue.

(2.) Recruitment process was conducted for this post in January, 2009. According to the petitioner Association, this selection process was completely arbitrary, the alleged interview was an eye-wash and since there has been irregularity in the recruitment on a large scale and it is alleged that money was collected from each candidate who was selected. The Association claims that thus this petition is filed in public interest, and therefore though the subject really involves Service Law, this public interest litigation is maintainable.

(3.) Briefly, it is stated that there has been a long wait for the unemployed Diploma Holders who were hoping to be appointed to the post of Assistant Agricultural Officer. There was a recruitment ban during 1991 to 1992, which prohibited recruitment to the post of Assistant Agricultural Officer, by G.O.Ms. No. 1254, Agriculture (AAV) Department, dated 28.06.1988. So the respondent had upgraded the posts of Field Demonstration Officer and filled the vacancies in the post of Assistant Agricultural Officer. Therefore, 100% recruitment was done only from Field Demonstration Officers, with the result the members of the petitioner Association, who were qualified and were eligible to be appointed, were overlooked and many of the members had crossed the 40 year barrier.