TNPSC Group 4: Madras HC upholds order mandating minimum 40% mark in Tamil test
The judge held that those occupying Group-IV posts would have to interact with the people directly, and should thus be able to converse and write in Tamil fluently
Madras High Court
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court upheld the government order mandating 40 per cent marks in Tamil eligibility-cum-scoring test in the Tamil Nadu Combined Civil Services examinations (Group-4).
Dismissing a batch of petitions challenging the government order, Justice GR Swaminathan said in matters concerning recruitment, the employer can prescribe the qualifications. The judge added that unless the conditions mandated were illegal or without jurisdiction, the court ought not interfere.
Objecting to the government order mandating that aspirants should secure at least 40 per cent marks in the Tamil paper of the recruitment examination, some applicants moved a batch of petitions seeking a direction to quash the order.
Appearing for the petitioners, senior counsel Nalini Chidambaram submitted that the scheme of examination envisages writing Part-A (Tamil) and Part-B (general) papers. The Part B paper will be taken up for evaluation only if the candidate secures a minimum qualifying mark of 40 per cent in Part A.
The counsel argued that it was unreasonable to expect more than mere proficiency in Tamil, and noted that if 150 marks awarded for Part A are taken into account, it would put the petitioners at a disadvantage, as they are not as proficient in Tamil as others.
Responding to this, Advocate General PS Raman submitted that a policy decision consciously taken by the government could not be assailed on the grounds cited by the petitioners and sought the court to dismiss the petitions.
Considering arguments put forth by both sides, the judge held that those occupying Group-IV posts would have to interact with the people directly. Hence, they should have sufficient knowledge in Tamil, and should be able to converse and write in Tamil fluently, he added.
As Section 21-A of Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016, upheld the government order, there was no merit in the petitions, said the judge and dismissed the petitions.