The Supreme Court has upheld a Madras High Court order cancelling the appointment of 54 junior assistants in the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation. The apex court also directed that the 54 appointees be removed from service immediately.
The recruitment process dates back to 2021, during the AIADMK government when S.P. Velumani was the Minister for Municipal Administration. For 69 junior assistant posts, 654 candidates had applied and 440 were called for interview and verification, after which 54 appointments were made.
A case challenging the appointments was filed by Eswari and others, who had been appointed as sanitation workers. After an initial dismissal, the petitioners moved an appeal before the Madras High Court.
A division bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and Senthilkumar held that the appointments were made without following the required selection body or recruitment procedures, describing them as “backdoor” entries. The bench ordered cancellation of the appointments and directed departmental action against officials found to be complicit.
The matter was taken to the Supreme Court, where a bench led by Justice Viswanathan ruled that the 2021 appointments were illegal, affirmed the High Court verdict, and ordered immediate termination of the 54 junior assistants.
