13 years after port peon’s death, widow wins fight for job

More than 13 years after her husband, a peon with the Chennai Port Trust (CPT), died and eight years after she was unfairly denied a job under compassionate grounds, a widow has won back her wage arrears and seniority, plus 1 lakh in costs.

Justice K K Sasidharan, whose order directing the port to give S Jayachitra a job was upheld by a division bench and commended by the Supreme Court, said he was closing the contempt petition with a sense of satisfaction that the woman was able to enjoy the fruits of her litigation in her lifetime.

Jayachitra's husband died on November 3, 2000, leaving behind her, a minor daughter and his mother. Though she filed an application for a job on compassionate grounds on November 15, 2000, the CPT took four years to call for her bio-data. In May 2005 the port appointed two others who were below her in the waiting list. Her application was rejected in 2010 saying it was pending for more than three years from the date the employee died.

Justice Sasidharan on November 16, 2012 directed the CPT to appoint her within two months. The CPT's appeal was dismissed by a division bench. As she was not given appointment orders, she filed a contempt petition. The CPT then moved the SC, which on October 30, 2013 lambasted it for filing frivolous appeals. The apex court imposed 1 lakh cost on CPT.

She filed another contempt petition to finally realise her decade-long pursuit for employment. But the CPT fixed a lower payscale for her, prompting Justice Sasidharan to pull up the authorities yet again. On November 20, the CPT fixed the correct payscale for her and her seniority would be from 2005 when two persons junior to her were appointed.

Justice Sasidharan said the state should wage legal battle only in deserving cases. Flaying the CPT, he said its officials dragged poor people into unnecessary litigation by behaving as if they are masters of the public.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/