Misconduct in Matrimonial Life Can Cost Government Job Too, Says Madras High Court
A public servant is expected to maintain honesty, integrity and good conduct both inside the office and in the society, court observed;
The Madras High Court, Madurai Bench, recently observed that even misconduct arising from personal matrimonial disputes can be grounds for termination in government service, including contractual appointments.
The judgment came in an appeal filed by the Executive Secretary of the District Health Society, Ramanathapuram, and other officials, who had challenged a 2018 single-judge order that reinstated K.S. Subha Karuthukhan, a Dental Assistant who was disengaged following his involvement in a criminal case related to a matrimonial dispute.
Karuthukhan had been working on a contractual basis at the Government Upgraded Primary Health Centre in Bogaloor. His services, originally for a one-year period, had been renewed periodically until 2017, when the authorities terminated his engagement following his implication in a criminal matter.
The single judge bench, while ruling in his favour in 2018, had held that involvement in a matrimonial case should not become a roadblock for someone serving in a government post, particularly on a contractual basis.
However, the division bench comprising Justice S.M. Subramaniam and Justice Dr. A.D. Maria Clete disagreed with this interpretation.
Referring to the Tamil Nadu Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1973, the court held that misconduct, even in personal relationships, can be considered a valid basis for departmental action. The bench emphasized that government employees—permanent or contractual—are expected to maintain integrity and good conduct not just within the office but also in society.
“A public servant is expected to maintain honesty, integrity, and good conduct both inside the office and in the society,” the court noted, underlining that such standards are not limited to official duties alone.
Further, since the respondent’s contract had already expired in 2017, the court said there was no question of reinstatement. The appeal was allowed, and the previous writ order was set aside.
Case Title: The Executive Secretary of District Health Society, Ramanathapuram and Others vs K.S.Subha Karuthukhan
Download judgment here