11 years on, ousted Chennai Port Trust man gets back job

CHENNAI: Eleven years after he was dismissed from service, S Nagarajan is all set to return to his job with seniority and back wages, on an order of the Madras high court.
The Chennai Port Trust (CPT) removed Nagarajan from service in May 2002 on twin charges that his community certificate and school certificates were bogus. The removal order came 13 years of service.
A division bench comprising Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice P Devadass, finding that both the certificates were genuine, directed CPT authorities to reinstate Nagarajan in service with all benefits and back wages within four weeks.
Nagarajan’s father E Shanmugam was a Royal Navy Soldier in CPT till August 1974, when he died in harness. Nagarajan then got a job in CPT on compassionate grounds in 1989. In May 2001, the CPT issued a memo to him, stating that he had produced bogus certificates at the time of joining. He was later dismissed from service.
The Madras high court in 2011, which verified with the authorities and found that the community certificate was genuine, directed Nagarajan to approach the CPT and bring to its notice the developments. Though he submitted the details, the CPT again rejected, it, prompting Nagarajan to file the present petition.
The bench scrutinised the original school records and was convinced that his certificates were genuine.
It then said that since the two reasons cited for removing him from service were not sustainable, he should be reinstated in service immediately.