Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) not to publish the results of the written examination to be held on January 31, for selection to the posts of 375 Assistant Engineers, till February 16, 2016.
“Petitioners are permitted to appear for the examination to be held on January 31. The Tangedco shall not publish the results till February 16,” said Justice K. Kalyanasundram while passing interim orders on a batch of 51 petitions from M. Ramani and others.
They also sought a direction to the Tangedco to dispense with written examination for them for the ensuing direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Engineers.
According to petitioner, since large number of apprentices all over India were rendered jobless after completion of apprenticeship training in a particular establishment, the Union government brought an amendment to section 22 (1) of the Apprentices Act.
This amendment created a mandatory obligation on the employer to formulate or evolve a policy or scheme to recruit the apprentices who have completed the period of apprenticeship training in the establishment.
The Ministry of Railways and Railway board have now framed a policy in consonance with the amended provision. However, Tangedco without taking any steps to formulate a policy for recruiting ex-apprentices has now changed the policy for recruitment and issued board proceedings dated December 10, 2015 and also recruitment notification dated December 28, 2015 calling for application for the post of assistant engineers.
The notification did not say that there will be no written examination for graduate apprentices. In view of the amended provision, the Tangedco was bound to formulate a scheme for absorbing ex-apprentices and fill up the vacant posts only by resorting to recruitment from among the eligible ex-apprentices for various posts and only after exhausting that mode, can resort to outside recruitment from open market, the petitioners contended.
