R.Menaka v. The State of Tamil Nadu Rep. by Its Secretary

BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT Dated : 24.02.2026 CORAM THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE B.PUGALENDHI WP(MD)Nos.2805 to 2814 of 2026 R.Menaka ... Petitioner in

W.P.(MD)No.2805/2026 G.Sumathi ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2806/2026 P.Krishnaveni ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2807/2026 D.Kanimozhi ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2808/2026 G.Murugadoss ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2809/2026 K.Valli Deivanai ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2810/2026 S.Ranjith Kumar ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2811/2026 M.Deivanai ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2812/2026 M.Kanchana ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2813/2026 K.Ramayee ... Petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.2814/2026 versus

¶1The State of Tamil Nadu, Rep. by its Secretary, Department of Tamil Development & Information, Tamil Vazharchi Vazhagam 1st Floor, Halls Road, Egmore, Chennai – 600 008.

¶2The Tamil University, Rep. by its Registrar, Thanjavur – 613 010. ... Respondents Writ Petitions filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, praying this Court to issue a Writ of Mandamus, directing the respondents herein to continue to refix and disburse forthwith the salary of the petitioners including the pending monetary benefits admissible to the petitioners w.e.f. April 2022 as per the proceedings issued by the District Collectorate at Thanjavur, vide his proceedings in Na.Ka.No. 15720/2022/G2 dated 10.10.2022, Na.Ka.34535-2023-G2 dated

03.08.2023, Na.Ka.6805-2024-G2 dated 26.09.2024 and Na.Ka. 3103986-2025-G2 dated 21.07.2025 and to disburse the pending monetary benefits arrears admissible to the petitioners w.e.f April 2022 in the light of the wages fixed by the District Collectorate at Thanjavur to the Skilled and Unskilled employees working in Government Departments every years. For Petitioner in all W.Ps. : Mr.T.Cibichakraborthy For R1 : Mr.C.Venkatesh Kumar, in all W.Ps. Special Government Pleader For R2 : Mr.M.Pozhilan in all W.Ps. for M/s.C.Arun Vadivel Associates COMMON ORDER The petitioners are working in the respondent University as Computer Operators, Office Assistants, Gardener, and Scavenger. They have been engaged on daily wage basis and they have been paid with salary on consolidated basis by extending their services every year. However, the respondents refused to extend their services in the year 2024. Therefore, they have approached this Court by way of writ petitions in W.P.(MD)No.3062 of 2024 etc. batch challenging the same and seeking regularisation of their services. This Court, by order dated

03.04.2024, allowed the writ petitions with a direction to the respondent University to maintain status quo and allow them to continue in their service till the permanent posts were filled up. This Court also provided them with the liberty to participate in the selection process if they were eligible to apply for the said posts. Therefore, the petitioners were retained in service as directed by this court. The salary of the petitioners' was previously revised as per the wages fixed by the District Collector, Thanjavur for skilled and unskilled employees in various government departments. The main grievance of the petitioners' is that their scale of pay has not been revised by the respondent University since April 2022. Therefore, the petitioners have filed these writ petitions, seeking a writ of mandamus, to refix the salary as per the proceedings of the District Collector on daily wage basis.

¶2The learned counsel appearing for the petitioners, by referring to the earlier proceedings of the Syndicate of the year 2019, submits that the request of the petitioners for refixing their salary on par with the daily wages as fixed by the District Collector for skilled and unskilled employees was accepted by the Syndicate and their daily wages was revised from the year 2018 onwards. However, after the petitioners have approached this court by filing a writ petition to seek regularisation of their services and the order passed by this Court to retain the petitioners in service, the salary of the petitioners has not been revised as per the daily wages fixed by the District Collector, Thanjavur.

¶3The learned counsel appearing for the respondent University submits that the request of the petitioners for revision of scale of pay was individually considered and rejected in view of the objection raised by the Financial Committee. The resolution dated 24.07.2024 passed by the financial committee is also placed before this Court. The resolution reads as under: "Kot[: jw;nghija

bjhFg;g{jpa gzpahsh;fspd;

gzp

ePl;og;ig

Vw;fhj epiyapy; ePjpkd;w cj;jutpd; K:yk; jil bgw;Ws;s epiyapy; tHf;fpid tpiue;J Kot[f;F

bfhz;Ltu

mwpt[Wj;jg;gl;lJ/ Cjpak; cah;j;jp tH';f ,ayhJ/"" He further submits that the earlier syndicate resolution is pertaining to the proceedings of the District Collector of the year 2018 and it cannot be applied to revise the scale of pay for the year 2025-2026.

¶4This Court considered the rival submissions made and also perused the materials placed on record.

¶5All these petitioners have been engaged by the respondent University on daily wages and paid on a consolidated basis. Considering the nature of work and services rendered by the petitioners, the syndicate thought it fit that the petitioners are entitled for daily wages as prescribed by the District Collector for skilled and unskilled employees that has been implemented from the year 2018 onwards. Thereafter, the respondent university decided to not renew their services. Therefore, the writ petitioners have approached this Court in the year 2024 by filing WP(MD) No.3287 of 2024 and this Court disposed the same on

03.04.2024 with a direction as to the respondent university to maintain status quo and retain the services of the petitioners. The relevant portions are extracted as under: "5. These Writ Petitions are disposed of with a direction to the respondents 1 and 2 to maintain status quo until the permanent post sanctioned in this regard are filled up through full fledged regular recruitment."

¶6The petitioners' request to revise their salary as per the daily wages fixed by the District Collector, Thanjavur which was provided from the year 2018 onwards as per syndicate resolution was considered individually and denied by citing a resolution of the Financial Committee dated 24.07.2024 and the same is extracted as under: "Kot[: jw;nghija

bjhFg;g{jpa gzpahsh;fspd;

gzp

ePl;og;ig

Vw;fhj epiyapy; ePjpkd;w cj;jutpd; K:yk; jil bgw;Ws;s epiyapy; tHf;fpid tpiue;J Kot[f;F

bfhz;Ltu

mwpt[Wj;jg;gl;lJ/ Cjpak; cah;j;jp tH';f ,ayhJ/"

¶7From the reading of the resolution of the Financial Committee, it appears that the benefits, which have already been provided to the petitioners based on daily wages, as fixed by the District Collector, has been denied to the petitioners on account of the pendency of the writ petition filed by the petitioners seeking regularisation before this court.

¶8The daily wages for skilled and unskilled employees are fixed by the District Collector every year and the University Syndicate has previously agreed to revise the scale of pay to the petitioners based on the daily wages as fixed by the District Collector. However, the scale of pay has not been revised thereafter on account of the resolution passed the Financial Committee on 24.07.2024 which refers to the the pendency of the writ petition filed by the petitioners. However, since the writ petition filed by the petitioners has been disposed on 03.04.2024 by this court with directions to maintain status quo and also to retain the petitioners' in service, the reason provided by the Financial Committee are not valid anymore. The petitioners, in exercise of their fundamental rights, have approached this court seeking their rights and this court has also directed the respondent university to retain them in service. Hence, the petitioners cannot be punished for having approached this court by not providing them with salary.

¶9In light of the above discussion, these writ petitions are allowed with a direction to the respondent university to revise the salary of the petitioners as per the daily wages fixed by the District Collector, Thanjavur for skilled and unskilled employees and disburse the same to the petitioners within a period of 3 months from the date of receipt of copy of this order. No costs.

24.02.2026 ogy Index : Yes / No. Internet : Yes / No. NCC : Yes / No. To

¶1The Secretary, Department of Tamil Development & Information, Tamil Vazharchi Vazhagam 1st Floor, Halls Road, Egmore, Chennai – 600 008.

¶2The Registrar, Tamil University, Thanjavur – 613 010.

B.PUGALENDHI, J. ogy WP(MD)Nos.2805 to 2814 of 2026

24.02.2026