CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court upheld the single judge order, who quashed transfer order of a Corporation chief engineer.The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said, the Tamil Nadu Municipal Engineering Services Rules does not permit such appointment.

The issue relates to a plea moved by N Natarajan, chief engineer, Commissionerate of Municipal Administration, challenging his transfer to the post of chief engineer in the office of the commissioner, Chennai Corporation.The State appointed retired officer Pugazhendi, who was working as principal chief engineer in the Corporation on an extension of service was posted as the chief engineer municipal administration.

According to the petitioner, Pugazhendi, who was working as Chennai Corporation chief engineer, retired on June 30, 2016. But his service was extended three times on the ground that his service was required to oversee projects of Corporation, worth `12,000 crore.

A single judge of the HC quashing the appointment observed that extraordinary favour shown to Pugazhendi, who got an extension of service continuously for the fifth year, appears to be on extraneous consideration.

The division bench observed, “As per rules, a chief engineer of municipalities must be selected by promotion from superintendent engineers of municipal corporations other than the municipal corporation of Chennai.”