Chennai: The Madras high court has imposed a further cost of Rs.10,000 on higher education secretary for not filing counter affidavit to a Public Interest Litigation, which sought 3 per cent reservation for differently abled persons in promotion.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana posted to March 3, further hearing of the PIL filed by TN Teachers’ Association of the Visually Challenged, which sought a direction to the government to implement 3 per cent reservation for the disabled for all grades/ cadres of posts of teachers, headmasters, lecturers and professors to be filled up by promotion.
In its order the bench said counter affidavit has been filed belatedly by school education secretary, director, directorate of primary education, the director, directorate of school education and the director, state council of educational and research and training, despite the same being the last opportunity and subject to costs to file beyond the time stipulated for four weeks.
The costs, should thus, be deposited as a precondition for the counter affidavit to be taken on record. Special government pleader stated that the higher education secretary was still to file the counter. Two weeks time was granted for the said purpose, subject to that respondent (Higher Education Secretary) depositing further cost of Rs 10,000 within 2 weeks.
