P. E. SARAVANAN Vs. STATE OF TAMIL NADU

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mrs. Nalini Chidambaram, Learned Senior Counsel for the Petitioners in W.P. Nos. 25671, 25675 and 26518 of 2021, 19996 of 2022, 832 and 7306 of 2023, Mr. G.Sankaran, Learned Senior Counsel for the Petitioners in W.P. Nos. 272 of 2022, 803 and 7372 of 2023, and Mr. B.Vijay, Learned Additional Government Pleader appearing for the Government-Respondents in all the Writ Petitions and Mr. B.Loganathan, Learned Counsel for the Medical Recruitment Board in W.P. Nos. 272 of 2022, 803 and 7372 of 2023 and perused the materials placed on record, apart from the pleadings of the parties.

(2.) As the controversies involved in these Writ Petitions are inextricably connected with each other, they are taken up for common adjudication by this order.

(3.) The Government of Tamil Nadu by G.O.Ms. No. 95, Heath and Family Welfare Department dtd. 13/3/2020 in the exercise of powers conferred under the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939, had declared Covid-19 as a notified disease in the State of Tamil Nadu, and had permitted the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine to engage 2715 Multipurpose Health Worker (Male) in the post of Health Inspector Grade II on outsourcing as a temporary measure to meet the exigencies of that situation. Such appointments were made on a consolidated pay of Rs.20,000.00 per month through outsourcing agencies initially for a period of two months, which was periodically extended upto 31/3/2022 taking note of the pandemic requirements. As against 1646 persons who had been hired in the said post, 1560 of them left their job on expiry of contractual tenure. The remaining 86 persons, who are amongst the Petitioners in the Writ Petition in W.P. No. 25671 of 2021 (filed on 26/11/2021) have sought for a direction to the Government of Tamil Nadu to issue appointment orders on permanent basis to candidates with one year Diploma in Sanitation from Pondicherry University Community College, who had been temporarily engaged as Health Inspector Grade II during the Covid pandemic. This Court by an interim order dtd. 6/12/2021 in W.M.P. No. 27110 of 2021 in W.P. No. 25671 of 2021 had required status quo regarding employment of those Petitioners in the said Writ Petition to be maintained, which continues to be in force as on date.