Madras HC issues contempt notice against Tamil Nadu education department officials

CHENNAI: The Madras High has ordered issuance of notice to the officials of the Tamil Nadu Education department and the head of a college in Tiruppur district for not complying with its earlier orders.

The division bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and N Mala ordered the notice while passing orders on a batch of applications seeking to punish Dr C Jothi Venkateswaran, Director of Collegiate Education in Chennai, Dr K Murugan, Registrar of Bharathiar University in Coimbatore, Rev Dr D Chandrasekaran, Bishop and Chairman, Bishop Thorp College in Tiruppur district and Dr V Kalaiselvi, Joint Director of Collegiate Education in Coimbatore. As the first bench in its common order dated February 13, 2020 had categorically held that the contempt petitioners were entitled to UGC scales of pay, the present bench said the college was bound to comply with the same.

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"In the light of the above, we are prima facie of the considered opinion that the respondents are guilty of willful disobedience of the February 13, 2020 order passed on a batch of writ appeals, which confirmed the common order passed in 2015 passed on a batch of writ petitions from the petitioners," the judges said and directed the Registry to issue statutory notices to the respondents returnable by one month.