Tribunal notice to GMCH-32 head on contempt petition

Chandigarh, February 24

The Chandigarh bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has issued contempt notice to the Director Principal, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, BS Chavan, for non-compliance of its orders.

The contempt petition was moved by Kiran Bala who works as an officiating nursing superintendent at the hospital. The petitioner sought directions to the respondent to consider her for promotion to the post of nursing superintendent from the date she became eligible.

It was mentioned that the petitioner was initially appointed as staff nurse on July 12, 1996. She was kept on two-year probation, which ended on April 24, 1999.

Meanwhile, an advertisement was issued for filling the posts of nursing sisters for which the petitioner had also applied and was selected. She was appointed as nursing sister on April 25, 1997. She was promoted as assistant nursing superintendent on March 3, 2005. It was also mentioned that the position above hers is of nursing superintendent, on which appointment is made by way of promotion from amongst the matrons (assistant nursing superintendents) and sister tutors or by direct appointment.

It was pointed out that the post of nursing superintendent is vacant since August 31, 2008, and since the Chandigarh Administration has no specific rules applicable to the petitioner, the rules of Punjab should be followed.

It was stated that since the petitioner was eligible for the post, she was given an additional charge of the said post on April 10, 2012, with an assurance that she would be promoted shortly. However, the authorities failed to consider her for promotion. She submitted a representation on June 26, 2013, for promotion but to no avail. This was followed by multiple representations.

On March 2, 2016, instead of promoting her on regular basis, she was given the officiating charge. She pointed out that she would retire in February 2018. She moved the tribunal, which ordered the authorities on January 11 this year to complete the requisite proceedings for convening the DPC for promotion of the petitioner to the post of nursing superintendent within a month.

As the authorities failed to do so, the applicant moved a contempt petition.

The CAT has issued a notice to the authorities to file their reply by April 18.