High court quashes posting of director of libraries

CHENNAI: The Madras high court on Monday quashed the appointment of an under-qualified person as director of libraries and lambasted the state government for neglecting libraries despite collecting crores of rupees as library cess. 

Allowing a quo warranto plea to remove S Anbalagan from the post of director of libraries,Justice Chandru said, "An attack against a library is an attack against the civilization and culture of a society. The attack on libraries may take many forms. There may be a direct attack to destroy it or indirect attacks like cutting the budgetary allocation, delay in sanctioning funds, keeping the library understaffed, denial of particular publications or appointing persons who are unqualified. It is necessary to save our libraries from being destroyed by such ingenious methods." 

The matter relates to the appointment of Anbalagan as director of libraries on September 21, 2011, even though he did not possess the mandatory qualification of a masters degree in library science and 15 years of experience in running libraries. 

When M Muthuswami, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Library Association, filed the petition, the government initially said it was an ad hoc arrangement. The government order, however, mentioned it was a regular appointment. 

Justice Chandru pointed out that Tamil Nadu had a rich library history because it was the first state to bring a law - Tamil Nadu Public Libraries Act 1998 - into place. 

"It is unfortunate that having created a separate directorate and prescribed rules, the state government was observing the rules more in its breach than observance. It has become a promotional avenue for the persons working in the Directorate of School Education. The persons who are in the rank of deputy director or its equivalent got themselves posted as director of public libraries just prior to their retirement. After getting the higher post by transfer and getting higher pay fixed, they will retire from service. They will also get higher terminal benefits in this process," the judge said. 

In this regard, Justice Chandru pointed out that in the past 30 years, except one or two, other directors lacked even minimum educational qualification prescribed, to hold the post. 

"Having collected huge amounts from the public as library cess and constituted legislation for library providing for a statutory post of director, the authorities for the past four decades have not done anything to alleviate the situation," the judge lamented. "It requires special knowledge to man the library. It is not a mere question of book issuing clerk manning the library." 

He also suggested that the government could go for direct recruitment of qualified candidates as director of libraries, if they do not find a fit person in existing government service.

Source: Times of India, Chennai Apr 17, 2012, 02.05AM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/High-court-quashes-posting-of-director-of-libraries/articleshow/12696416.cms
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