G DHANDAPANI Vs. JOINT DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE, TIRUVANNALAI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioners filed O.A.Nos.412 and 413 of 2003. On abolition of the Tribunal, the matters stood transferred to this Court and re -numbered as W.P.Nos.13621 and 13622 of 2007.

(2.) THE petitioners were employed as Assistant Agricultural Officers in the Agricultural Extension Centre, Thurinjapuram and Tiruvannamalai. One of the duties of the Assistant Agricultural Officer is to recommend the farmers to purchase the seeds from the Agricultural Extension Centre. According to the petitioners, in spite of their recommendations, all the seeds could not be sold on time and hence, some quantity of seeds became unfit for germination. Hence, the remaining seeds were sold through the Regulated Marketing Committee and in such process, certain loss was caused to the Government. If those seeds had been sold through Agricultural Extension Centre to the farmers, no loss could have been caused.

(3.) IN such circumstances, the second respondent submitted a write off proposal on 01.06.2001 for the seeds, which became unfit for germination to the first respondent and that the petitioners are not responsible for not selling the entire seeds to the farmers. But the Joint Director of Agriculture, the first respondent herein had rejected the proposal by an order dated 07.01.2002. Hence, the second respondent passed the impugned order dated 29.11.2002, seeking to recover the alleged loss from the petitioners for not selling the seeds through the Agriculture Extension Centre to the farmers.