Madras High Court imposes Rs 10,000 fine on Southern Railway
Reiterates diabetes not a valid ground for rejecting job application
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-10-28 06:56 GMT
Chennai: The Madras high court has slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on Southern Railway for repeatedly refusing to appoint a man in a Group-D post on the ground that he was a diabetic.
The matter pertains to M. Packiaraj who applied for a Group D post in railways on compassionate grounds. He approached the railways seeking placement after his father A. Mani, a trackman, died in January 2010 while in service. Packiaraj was declared not fit for any post in railways as he had diabetes.
Later, Packiaraj moved the CAT, which on August 8, 2014 directed the railways to consider him for the post. Challenging the order, general manager, Southern Railway, Divisional personnel officer and the Chief medical superintendent of southern railway filed the present writ petition.
Dismissing the petition, a division bench of Justices S. Manikumar and G. Chockalingam cited an earlier division bench order of the court, which declared that diabetes could not be a valid ground for rejection of job applications. “For four years, he has been making requests to provide employment assistance but it has been denied by citing the only reason that he had been found unfit. We dismiss it, with a cost of '10,000 to be paid by the Divisional personnel officer,” the bench added. The case was adjourned to November 16 for reporting compliance.