Madras High Court
D.Ravikumar vs The Joint Director Of School ... on 9 June, 2022
W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT
DATED : 09.06.2022
CORAM
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE M.S.RAMESH
W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
and
W.M.P.(MD).No.11013 of 2021
D.Ravikumar ... Petitioner
Vs.
1.The Joint Director of School Education (Higher Secondary),
College Road,
Chennai – 6.
2.The Chief Educational Officer,
Thanjavur,
Thanjavur District.
3.The District Educational Officer,
Thanjavur,
Thanjavur District.
4.The Secretary,
Kalyana Sundaram Higher Secondary School,
Thanjavur – 613 009,
Thanjavur District. ...Respondents
Prayer : Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India,
praying this Court to issue a Writ of Certiorarified Mandamus, calling for the
records relating to impugned proceedings in impugned order in
1/7
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W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
O.Mu.No.43162/D1/E4/2019 dated 12.11.2019 of the first respondent herein
and the consequential impugned order in O.Mu.No.6650/A3/2019 dated
20.12.2019 of the third respondent and quash the same and consequently direct
the respondents herein to award incentive increment for M.A degree with effect
from the date of passing of the said degree to the petitioner herein with attended
benefits.
For Petitioner : Mr.T.Pon Ramkumar
For R-1 to R-3 : Mr.A.Kannan,
Additional Government Pleader.
ORDER
The petitioner herein, has possessed higher education during his service
under the fourth respondent herein and he aspired to avail incentive increment
for his higher education, in terms of the Regulations governing them. When the
fourth respondent had sought for the approval for registration of the petitioner's
higher qualification for the purpose of granting incentive increment, the same
came to be rejected by the first and third respondents herein, stating that, the
petitioner had not obtained prior permission of the authorities, for undergoing
higher education.
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W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
2. The petitioner herein intends to avail incentive increment for having
possessed higher educational qualification and the purpose for which the
ratification of his higher degree was sought for was to make the petitioner
eligible for availing the said increment.
3. This Court, in various writ petitions have held that claims for
conferment of incentive increment for acquiring higher educational
qualifications cannot be denied on the ground that such higher qualifications
were acquired without prior permission. One such order of this Court passed in
the case of J.Tamilrajan vs. Department of School Education and others
passed in W.P.(MD) No.4019 of 2018, reads thus:-
“3.In W.P(MD).No.1049 of 2012, a learned single Judge
of this Court has considered the similar question and has
rejected the claim of the department that if the higher education
is pursued without consent of the permission of the department,
the teacher was not entitled to the incentive increments for
obtaining such higher qualification. Following the said
Judgment, another learned single Judge of this Court in W.P.No.
18086 of 2017 has held that want of permission cannot stand in
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W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
the way of the petitioner being favoured with the incentive
increments for having obtained higher qualifications. While
doing so, paragraph 7 of the order, this Court has observed as
follows:
“ 7.This Court in the unreported decision
made in W.P(MD).No. 21895 of 2015 dated
08.12.2015, while considering the claims for
conferment of incentive increment for acquiring
qualification and the contention that they were
acquired without prior permission, held that
conferment of incentive increment cannot be denied on
that score. Acquiring higher education by the teacher is
only for the benefit of students. In that view of the
matter, the first ground of opposition stands rejected”
4. In view of the above, the sole ground on which the
authorities rejected the claim of the petitioner towards incentive
increments fails and the writ petition is liable to succeed. The
impugned order of rejection is therefore, quashed. The
respondents are directed to sanction the incentive increments to
the petitioner for obtaining the higher qualifications namely
M.A.History and B.Ed Degree from the date of acquisition of the
respective qualifications. The said exercise shall be completed
within 8 weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.”
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W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
4. By applying the ratio held in the aforesaid decision as well as various
other decisions, on the same line, it can be said that the petitioner herein would
be entitled for incentive increment for having possessed higher educational
qualification, even though he had not obtained prior permission of the
authorities for having undergone the course for such higher education.
5. In the light of the above observations, the impugned orders dated
12.11.2019 and 20.12.2019 are quashed and consequently, there shall be a
direction to the third respondent herein to award incentive increment for M.A
degree with effect from the date of passing of the said degree to the petitioner
herein along with attendant benefits, by passing appropriate orders within a
period of four (4) weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.
6. This Writ Petition stands allowed accordingly. There shall be no order
as to costs. Consequently, connected miscellaneous petition stands closed.
09.06.2022
Index : Yes / No
Internet : Yes/ No
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W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
To
1.The Joint Director of School Education (Higher Secondary),
College Road,
Chennai – 6.
2.The Chief Educational Officer,
Thanjavur,
Thanjavur District.
3.The District Educational Officer,
Thanjavur,
Thanjavur District.
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W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
M.S.RAMESH, J.
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W.P.(MD).No.14019 of 2021
09.06.2022
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