HC notice to state health secretary in contempt case

Chennai: The Madras high court has issued notice to the

Tamil Nadu health secretary

in a contempt of court case for having disobeyed the court’s order dated July 2, 2018 relating to appointment of nurses.

A division bench of Justice K K Sasidharan and Justice P T Asha, before which an application filed by Tamil Nadu Medical Recruitment Board (MRB) Nurses Empowerment Association, represented by its president K Gopinathan, came up for hearing on Tuesday, ordered notice to the health secretary and others, returnable by four weeks.

According to advocate Puhazh Gandhi, the MRB issued a notification on April 19, 2015 inviting applications for appointment of nurses for 7,243 vacancies. The selected candidates will be given a consolidated pay of Rs 7,700 per month with Rs 500 annual increase as per GOs issued in 2013 and 2014.

The matter relates to disparity in salary as a result of the petitioner-association members being denied regular pay scale. It also led to protests by nurses. In response to a PIL in the matter, the health secretary told a division bench that a seven-member core committee, under his chairmanship, had been formed to look into the grievance of nurses. And by a final order dated July 2, 2018, the bench held that the nurses were entitled to equal pay as per equal-work-equal pay concept. It also directed the committee to address the issue and grand equal pay within six months.

Despite the direction, for reasons best known to the committee members, no action was taken. Describing it as a gross, wilful disobedience of the court order, the present contempt petition has been filed.