Madras High Court allows qualified sericulture candidates to appear for exam

Chennai: The Madras high court has permitted all candidates who are qualified with B.Sc or M.Sc (Sericulture) to appear for the examination to be held on February 7 for selection to the post of assistant inspector of sericulture.

Passing interim orders on a batch of nearly 40 petitions from S. Rizwana Fathima and others, Justice T. Raja said, “All the petitioners are permitted to appear for the examination, if they are qualified with B.Sc or M.Sc (Sericulture)”.

The judge also directed the additional advocate-general to file counter affidavit within two weeks.

Petitioners sought to quash a notification dated January 13 this year of the Director of Sericulture, inviting applications from eligible candidates for
filling up the post of Assistant Inspector, Department of Sericulture, under direct recruitment (43 vacancies) by prescribing qualification from candidates who have completed B.Sc in Botany, Zoology and Chemistry alone.

According to Rizwana Fathima, she completed her B.Sc (Sericulture) from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, which was a specialised course, last year.
She also underwent training in sericulture farmers holdings followed by 15 days exposure to industrial units.

The Vice Chancellor of the agricultural university had  recommended to Director of Sericulture to give priority to B.Sc (Sericulture) students in recruitment of Assistant Inspector of Sericulture.

While so, the sericulture director issued the present impugned notification, discarding candidates who had completed graduation in sericulture.

The director  had discriminated her and other similarly placed students without giving much importance when they have got a specialised degree.

She and other students had sent representations to the authorities requesting them to provide employment of Assistant Inspector of Sericulture to them. But there was no proper response.