The Madras High Court has directed the State government to post R Lalitha, IAS, the then Commissioner of Corporation of Chennai, to a non-sensitive one for filing an incorrect statement in the court in connection with a case relating to rejection of a job application. The court made such stinging remarks because the officer had filed an “incorrect” statement in the court

The Court said that the petitioner cant be made to suffer for more than a decade without any fault on his part and he is entitled to be appointed on compassionate ground.

The petitioner K Padmanabhan’s application for appointment on compassionate grounds was rejected by the Assistant Commissioner/Zonal Officer in Kilpauk on December 1, 2010 as “it was submitted after expiry of three years time-limit. The judge also asked the government to provide employment to the petitioner.

Justice S Vaidyanathan said. “Lalitha, IAS, who was the then Commissioner in-charge, made such an incorrect statement in the counter affidavit. Of course, though the counter affidavit would have been drafted by her subordinate with the assistance of the Corporation counsel, being an IAS officer, it is her bounden duty to ascertain the entire facts before ascribing her signature.The judge observed that though it was a fit case to impose a cost of not less than Rs 10,000 on the then Commissioner Lalitha, he refrained from doing so. Instead the court directed the government to post her only to a non-sensitive post.