Stay on nurse recruitments

CHENNAI: The operation of a GO dated January 18 from  the Health and Family Welfare department, deciding to fill all vacant posts of nurses in all government medical hospitals from among the trained nurses from both the government and private institutions by conducting an exam by Medical Services Recruitment Board, was stayed by the Madras High Court on Tuesday.Justice K Chandru granted the injunction while admitting a writ plea from S Eswaramoorthy of Melasirupothu in Ramnad district, challenging the GO.“The impugned order is stayed until further orders,’’ the judge said, admitted the petition and posted it after 12 weeks. Eswaramoorthy submitted that he completed the nursing course at the Govt. Stanley Hospital here in January, 2010. Over 1,860 nurses posts fell vacant and the candidates who had studied in government colleges were called for certificate verification in two batches. A total of 969 candidates, who were called on February 22 last year, were given appointment. Petitioner and 891 candidates appeared for the verification in the second batch on February 23, 2010. Meanwhile, the Election Commission declared the Assembly polls and they have been waiting for the orders ever since. While so, the government issued the January 18, 2012 order. In March 2011, a division bench of the Madurai Bench had directed the government to consider the case of private candidates. Challenging this, review applications had been filed before the Bench and the matter went up to the SC where it was pending.  Hence, the GO was liable to be quashed, petitioner contended.