Strike: TN builds case, gets report from dists

An official team consisting of senior officers is likely to leave for New Delhi to assist the state government’s counsel at Delhi in preparing the counter-affidavit.

The government is likely to reinstate all those employees against whom FIRs were registered under Section 4 (participating in strike) alone. If this plan is implemented, a large number of employees and teachers might get an opportunity to rejoin duty next week. So far only about 235 dismissed employees have been reinstated in the Secretariat.

However, the government is firm on not taking back the arrested employees without completing the disciplinary proceedings as suggested by the court. A total of 2,211 employees and teachers were arrested throughout the state. Barring the Legislative Assembly Secretariat, secretaries of most of other departments have lodged FIRs against their staff under the Section 4.

Cases under Sections 4 and 5 (instigating the strike) were booked in the Agriculture, Commercial Taxes, Environment and Forest, and Handlooms and Textile departments.

In the Food and Cooperation department, cases were registered even under Section 6 (funding the strike) against as many as 116 out of its total strength of 173 employees.

Meanwhile, G. Suryamurthy, president of the Tamil Nadu Government Officials Union, which broke away from the Federation of the JACTTEO-GEO and COTA-GEO, said that irrespective of the verdict delivered by the Supreme Court, he wanted the Chief Minister to invite his association for talks.