The Madras High Court has directed the state Government of Tamil Nadu to consider forming of ‘Tamil Nadu Administrative Service’ including all the Departments, so the officers of the state get equal opportunities for conferment of Indian Administrative Service (IAS). This should be connected to the Revenue and General Administration, Implementation of State policies for development in General as has been done by the Kerala Government. The court even hoped the process would be initiated within six months.
The bench of Justice M. Govindaraj further directed the Government to consider taking steps to treat all State Level Officers alike and provide equal opportunity to them by making an appropriate recommendation to the Central Government to bring them into Administrative Service.
After this, all eligible officers from different state government departments, and not just deputy collector, can now aspire to get conferred Indian Administrative Service (IAS) status, as Madras high court has ordered formation of a separate Tamil Nadu Administrative Service.
The state was further directed to constitute a Committee for the purpose of identifying the posts, which can be brought under the definition of Deputy Collector. The government is expected to initiate all these processes within a period of six months.
This significant order aims to provide a level-playing field for officers from departments working in close proximity with the revenue department, in the race towards the IAS. The orders were passed on a 2012 petition filed by 98 officers of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department. Just as in Kerala, the TN government was urged to treat all State Level Officers alike and give equal opportunities by making appropriate recommendations to the Centre to bring them under the IAS’s ambit for effective administration, the court said Justice M Govindaraj also instructed the State government to constitute a committee to identify the posts which can be brought under the definition of Deputy Collector as done in GO (4D) No.12 dated August, 26, 2005 of the public department.
