After 28 yrs, transport staff yet to get relief

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has come to the rescue of a sacked transport department staff, who was neither reinstated nor given his due salary/terminal benefits, despite 14 judicial orders during a span of 28 years.T Neethivilangan, now 62 years old, was 34 when he was dismissed from service by the management of the then Cholan Roadways Corporation (CRC), which became State Transport Corporation (Kumbakonam division) in 1983. Since then he had won several rounds of litigations against the government — seven in the HC, five in the SC and one each in a tribunal and a lower court— he was yet to receive his pay arrears, seniority in service and full benefits. For the third time now, Neethivilangan initiated contempt proceedings in the HC against the top brass of the government undertaking.Justice M M Sundresh, before whom the matter came up on October 21, summoned the managing director and the general manager of the Kumbakonam division to find out what prevented them from implementing its judicial orders. But, the management moved the SC with a special leave plea. But, the SLP was neither numbered nor accepted by the registry. Trouble started in 1983, when Neethivilangan was first suspended on charges that he failed to inform the misappropriation of over Rs 50 lakh by his co-employee Rajagopalan in 1994. The jurisdictional industrial tribunal refused to approve his dismissal. It also marked the government’s endless efforts to see him out. The CRC approached the HC, which refused to reverse the tribunal order. In 1998, the SC refused to approve his dismissal. Though the apex court’s order put an end to a litigation, Neethivilangan was forced to file another petition in the HC in 1999 as the CRC did not take him back. This round of litigation too ended with the SC dismissing the CRC’s special leave plea.He was reinstated in service on July 16, 2001, but was suspended the same evening and dismissed later. Neethivilangan embarked on another round of litigation, this time directly before the SC, which advised him to file an execution plea before the subordinate court. The execution plea was still pending before the Cuddalore Labour Court.