HC stays recruitment of Anganwadi workers

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court today stayed filling up of various posts of workers in Anganwadis in Tamil Nadu by the Social Welfare Department.
Admitting a petition by one M Meenalakshmi who challenged the recruitment on the ground that the process was based on interview only and at district-level, Justice T.Raja ordered issue of a notice returnable within three weeks.
The petitioner submitted that officials were trying to fill the posts of Anganwadi workers, mini Anganwadi workers and helpers by issuing news through local media and through interview only.
For any public employment, the state should give wide paper publication throughout the state to provide equal opportunity. It was arbitrary to select people through 100 per cent interview alone, the petitioner said.

Prescribing guidelines that the anganvadi workers should stay in the village or be a resident of it were also against the constitution as it excluded other meritorious candidates. Besides there was a possibility for nepotism when the selection was made on the basis of interview alone, it said.
Besides, the roster system was not being followed in the appointment of the workers, according to the petitioner.
The date of interview differed from district to district and in some it had been completed, the petitioner said seeking to stay the recruitment and also direct the officials to appoint workers by giving public notification in newspapers, notifying communal roaster.