Pink slip to noon meal organiser quashed

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has come to the rescue of a noon meal organiser, who had been dismissed from service a decade ago without a departmental enquiry and on a Minister’s direction, by quashing the dismissal order.V Kannappalli was employed as a noon meal organiser at the Panchayat Union Elementary School, Madanakuppam in Bargur on August 16, 1985. His services were regularised in April 1989. On November 26, 2001, the Education Minister visited the school. On account of certain lapses at the noon meal centre, Kannappalli was removed from service from November 30.Justice VK Sharma said the petitioner’s services had been regularised. Therefore, the order passed by treating him as a temporary employee could not be sustained. Kannappalli had been dismissed based on a specific charge of discrepancy that was noticed during the Minister’s visit. Even if for the sake of argument, the petitioner was treated to be a temporary employee, still the dismissal order could not be sustained as it was not open to the local Block Development Officer-cum-Panchayat Union Commissioner to pass it without holding a departmental enquiry. Also, the petitioner could not be dismissed on the direction of the Minister, the judge observed.