SC stays HC order halting MAWS recruitment
Supreme Court
stayed the order of the
Madras high court
halting the ongoing recruitment process for 2,569 vacancies across 16 positions in the state municipal administration and water supply (MAWS) department.
The HC had stayed the recruitment process on the ground that the state had failed to select four candidates under the Person Studying in Tamil Medium (PSTM) quota.
However, the SC division bench of Justice Manoj Misra and Justice N Kotiswar Singh clarified that the state must not make any final selection against the four candidates. Representing the state, senior advocate P Wilson and advocate Purnima Krishna submitted that the HC's decision was based on the ground that the state failed to select four candidates under the PSTM quota.
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The stay was issued at the eleventh hour, though the issue raised by the four candidates was limited to the grant of 20% reservation to candidates who studied in Tamil medium in private colleges, they added. The recruitment was virtually over, with only final appointment orders to be issued.
Recording submissions, the bench ordered notices to the authorities and directed to put on hold the effect and operation of the stay issued by the HC. According to TN govt, since the candidates who applied against quota for PSTM could not produce the PSTM certificates, they were treated under the normal category.
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