Chennai: Plea to restrain Srinivasan from functioning as special secy
Wilson said the petitioners came to know that this post was created under the general wing and not under the reporting wing.
Chennai: A petition has been filed in the Madras high court to restrain the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from appointing or promoting or permitting K.Srinivasan, special private secretary to the Speaker, to function as special secretary or as the secretary of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
Justice T.Raja before whom the petition filed by L.S.Vasanthimalar and B.Subramaniyam, additional secretary and joint secretary of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly came up for hearing on Thursday ordered notice to the TN legislative assembly secretary and the state government and directed them to produce a copy of the appointment order.
Senior counsel P.Wilson, appearing for the petitioners submitted that pursuant to the mala fide and illegal schemes of the Speaker and K.Boopathy, secretary of the TN Legislative assembly, they created one more secret post titled ambiguously as ‘special secretary” vide a secretariat order shrouded in secrecy dated December 14, 2017. This order has not been released in public or to the holders of the post of Additional secretary either in the general wing or the reporting wing. Therefore, as such nobody was aware as to the nature, constitution or recruitment to the said post. However, Boopathy has been proclaiming to the holder of the post of additional secretary that Srinivasan has been appointed as the special secretary and was in line to succeed him as the secretary, Wilson added.
Wilson said the petitioners came to know that this post was created under the general wing and not under the reporting wing. However, in blatant violation of the rules, Srinivasan, then serving as additional secretary (editor of Debates) and who still continues to hold the post of special private secretary of the Speaker was appointed to the post of special Secretary. The ultimate aim of the Speaker was to see that the appointment of Srinivasan as special secretary and the rules governing the said post will be revealed publicly only close to the retirement of Boopathy which was on February 28, 2018, so that the same do not become a subject matter of judicial scrutiny and the path for Srinivasan to be appointed as secretary of the assembly will be unimpeded. Ordinarily, the 1st petitioner would be entitled to be appointed as secretary of the assembly upon retirement of Boopathy in her capacity as the senior most additional secretary, Wilson added.