O MANICKAM Vs. DISTRICT COLLECTOR, MADURAI DISTRICT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner is working as the Village Administrative Officer in the Pannian group villages. He was also holding additional charge for the Karumathur village. In the present writ petition, he has come forward to challenge an order of transfer issued by the Revenue Divisional Officer, Usilampatti namely, the second respondent herein, dated 25.05.2011. In the order of transfer, it was stated that the District Collector namely, the first respondent had received a complaint from the village people of Pannian group villages that while granting flood relief to the village people, the petitioner has committed irregularities. Therefore, the District Collector directed the second respondent to take appropriate action on the basis of the complaint.

(2.) In the light of the above, the second respondent passed the impugned order on public interest and administrative reasons transferring the petitioner from the existing village Pannian group villages and Karumathur village additional charge to Vagurani group village with additional charge of Veppanoothu village in the place of one Radhakrishnan and the said Radhakrishnan was directed to be posted in the place of the petitioner. Challenging the said order of transfer, the petitioner filed the present writ petition.

(3.) The contention raised by the petitioner was that one Selvarajan who instigated the village people and signed the complaint was motivated and he was an expelled village menial of Pannian village and was acting as an agent in the village offices and taluk offices for getting patta and paying taxes to receive some certificates from the revenue authorities and has been conducting agency business. He has developed hostile on the petitioner and has made a baseless allegation. It is stated that the second respondent ought not to have relied upon the said complaint and effected transfer which in turn a punishment without being heard on the basis of the said allegation.