Court Orders Re-Engagement of Long-Serving Hospital Attendants
The Telangana High Court has ordered the re-engagement of long-serving hospital attendants after rejecting a state argument claiming temporary nature of their positions. Key points include stability for long-term workers and clarity needed in FIRs based on social media reportage.
Highlights
- •Telangana High Court orders re-engagement of long-term hospital attendants
- •States cannot replace similarly placed temporary employees under court rulings
- •High Court clarifies current workers' stability should not be compromised during implementation
- •FIR stayed by Telangana High Court in absence of specific content details regarding social media reportage
Hyderabad, India - In a landmark decision, Justice T. Madhavi Devi of the Telangana High Court has issued an order compelling the district veterinary and animal husbandry department to consider re-engaging long-serving hospital attendants who have worked for over two decades in Mahbubabad district. The court was responding to a writ petition filed by Kommu Prasad and others, challenging a 2020 notification that had invited fresh applications to outsource new attendants.
The petitioners argued their replacement violated principles of natural justice as they contended that they do not have vested rights in the posts. Relying on previous High Court rulings, it was highlighted that ad hoc or temporary employees cannot be replaced by similar position holders. Despite arguments from the state claiming these positions are temporary and petitioners had no right to continuance, Justice Devi directed the authorities to consider re-engaging the petitioners against available four vacancies within a month.
Ensuring Stability for Long-Time Workers
The High Court's directive was aimed at ensuring stability and security of service. It emphasized that current workers should not be disturbed during implementation processes, maintaining continuity where necessary. This ruling is significant as it provides legal support to long-serving employees who may otherwise face arbitrary displacement.
In a related case, Justice J. Sreenivas Rao stayed proceedings of a FIR filed by the Jangaon collector due to alleged objectionable reportage on social media at a YouTube channel named Telugu Scribe. The court observed that without clear specifics regarding the content in question, no criminal action could be taken based solely on social media reports.
