Chennai: The Madras HC has expressed its displeasure over the letter of the state home secretary with regard to sanctioning of posts and allotment of funds to the judiciary, more particularly to the higher judiciary.
“We must express our displeasure on the letter of the principal secretary to the government, Apurva Varma, who seems to be sitting in appeal over the validity of the Supreme Court judgments relating to implementation of the recommendation of Justice Shetty Commission”, said a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan while passing further interim orders on a petition from the Tamil Nadu Judicial Ministerial Officers Association by its general secretary S.P. Rajendran of Chidambaram.
The bench had in January found fault with the government in the sanction of the required staff to the judiciary. In his present letter dated August 9, addressed to the Registrar General, the home secretary, among other things stated that the proposals in question involved a huge expenditure of '30.18 crore for sanction of 1,344 posts, which was not in line with the recommendations of Justice Shetty Commission in the strict sense.
He also requested the judiciary to reconsider the proposal and send a revised one to the government. When the case came up for hearing on Friday, the bench found fault with the letter and the additional advocate general also conceded that the letter was not worded properly and a necessary affidavit will be filed by the secretary in this behalf.
