The Madras High Court on Friday initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against the incumbent Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam and his predecessor Shiv Das Meena for their alleged non-compliance with a 2023 court order concerning amendments to the compassionate appointment rules in the state civil services.
Justice Battu Devanand, after observing prima facie disobedience of the court’s directives issued on September 19, 2023, ordered the issuance of statutory notices to both officers and directed them to appear before the court on July 21, 2025.
Background of the Case
In 2023, while disposing of a batch of three writ petitions, Justice Devanand had directed the then Chief Secretary to constitute a committee to examine and recommend amendments to the Tamil Nadu Civil Service (Appointment on Compassionate Grounds) Rules, 2023. The court had pointed out several infirmities in the rules and called for a comprehensive review.
The High Court had also specifically ordered that the committee examine the feasibility of:
- Fixing a time frame for processing compassionate appointments, and
- Maintaining district-wise lists of eligible dependents of deceased government employees.
The Chief Secretary was instructed to submit an action taken report within three months.
Failure to Comply and Suo Motu Action
However, during the hearing of a separate writ petition on June 5, 2025, related to compassionate appointments, Justice Devanand discovered that the directions issued in September 2023 had not been complied with. As a result, the judge ordered the High Court Registry to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings against all those who had held the position of Chief Secretary since the date of the original order.
Accordingly, statutory contempt proceedings were registered against Mr. Shiv Das Meena, who served as Chief Secretary from September 2023 to August 19, 2024, and Mr. N. Muruganandam, the current Chief Secretary since that date.
Court’s Observations and Government Response
When the matter was heard on June 20, 2025, Additional Advocate General M. Suresh Kumar submitted that a Government Order (G.O.) dated June 11, 2025 had been issued to constitute the committee as per the High Court’s original direction.
Justice Devanand, however, noted with displeasure that the G.O. was issued only after the court had directed the Registry to initiate contempt proceedings. Terming the delay a form of post-facto compliance aimed at avoiding contempt, the court decided to continue with the proceedings.
Consequently, statutory notices were issued to both Mr. Muruganandam and Mr. Meena, requiring their personal appearance on July 21, 2025.
