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P.R.Veerappan v. The State of Tamil nadu

Madras HC17 Feb 2026WP/4959/2026

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

WP No. 4959 of 2026, Madras High Court, 17-02-2026, D.Bharatha Chakravarthy J.; Mandamus for disposal of appeal dated 01.02.2025 before Regional Director ESIC; employment injury with belated vision effects; Secretary to Government Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department can only disburse scheme benefits, not compensation; remedy under Employees Compensation Act 1923 and ESI Act by arraying employer and ESI Corporation; no provision to entertain such appeal; writ disposed with liberty reserved, no costs.

What did the court decide?

No substantive relief; liberty kept open to the petitioner to approach the appropriate authority for seeking compensation, if he still chooses to; Writ Petition disposed of with no costs. ¶26

P.R.Veerappan Vs The State of Tamil nadu — Writ and Judicial Review | Madras HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

No substantive relief; liberty kept open to the petitioner to approach the appropriate authority for seeking compensation, if he still chooses to; Writ Petition disposed of with no costs.

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Issue for consideration

Whether the second respondent should be directed (by Mandamus) to dispose of the appeal filed by the petitioner on 01.02.2025 within a stipulated time frame. +1 more

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Court's answer

The present prayer to dispose of the appeal dated 01.02.2025 cannot be countenanced, as there is no provision to entertain an appeal as made by the petitioner.

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Ratio / Principle

The Secretary to Government, Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department (first respondent) can only disburse benefits under a scheme operated by the Government.

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Key takeaways

The said authority cannot grant compensation for the loss suffered by the petitioner during the course of the injury.ratio¶20
If the petitioner suffered loss on account of the accident during the course of employment, his remedy is under the Employees Compensation Act, 1923, and it is open to him to approach the authority by arraying the ESI authorities and make a claim.ratio¶20
If the employment is covered by the provisions of the ESI Act, the petitioner has to make his claim for damages by arraying the employer and the ESI Corporation, in the manner known to law, before the appropriate authority.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Writ Petition under Article 226 by P.R.Veerappan seeking a Mandamus directing the Regional Director, ESIC (2nd respondent) to dispose of his appeal dated 01.02.2025 filed against the order of the Secretary to Government, Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department (1st respondent). Held: the Secretary to Government can only disburse benefits under Government-operated schemes and cannot grant compensation for loss suffered during the course of the injury; for loss from an accident during employment the petitioner's remedy is under the Employees Compensation Act, 1923 (approaching the authority by arraying the ESI authorities), or, if the employment is covered by the ESI Act, a claim for damages by arraying the employer and the ESI Corporation in the manner known to law before the appropriate authority; there is no provision to entertain the appeal as lodged, so the prayer cannot be countenanced. Writ Petition disposed of with liberty to approach the appropriate authority; no costs.

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WP No. 4959 of 2026

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS

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DATED: 17-02-2026

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CORAM

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THE HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE D.BHARATHA CHAKRAVARTHY

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WP No. 4959 of 2026

P.R.Veerappan

..Petitioner(s)

The State of Tamil Nadu Rep. by its Secretary to Government, Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department, Secretariat, Chennai 600 009

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The Regional Director Employee’s State Insurance Corporation Regional office, No 143, Sterling Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600 034

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..Respondent(s)

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Prayer :- Writ Petition is filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, pleased to issue a Writ of Mandamus or another appropriate writ or direction, directing the 2^nd respondent to dispose of the appeal filed on 01.02.2025 within a stipulated time frame as fixed by this Court.

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For Petitioner(s): M/s.R.Sripriya For Respondent(s): Mr.A.M.Ayyadurai

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Page1 of 4

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis

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WP No. 4959 of 2026

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ORDER

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The Writ Petition is filed for a Mandamus directing the second respondent to dispose of the appeal filed on 01.02.2025, within a stipulated time frame as fixed by this Court.

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2.On perusal of the same, it can be seen that the appeal is against the order passed by the first respondent herein. Upon perusing the affidavit filed in support of the Writ Petition, it is seen that the petitioner is claiming that he got injured during the course of employment and that is belatedly showing the effects, as the petitioner is having problem with his vision etc. If the case of the petitioner is that he has suffered loss on account of the accident during the course of employment, then his remedy is under the Employees Compensation Act, 1923 and it would be open for him to approach the authority by arraying the ESI authorities and make a claim. Unfortunately, the petitioner has wrongly approached the first respondent namely the Secretary to Government, Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department. The said authority can only disburse the benefits under any scheme that is operated by the Government. The said authority cannot grant compensation for the loss suffered by the petitioner during the course of injury. Certainly, if the employment is covered by the provisions of the ESI Act, then by arraying the employer and the ESI Corporation, the petitioner has to make the claim for damages in the manner

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Page2 of 4

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis

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WP No. 4959 of 2026

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known to law before the appropriate authority.

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3.The present prayer to dispose of the appeal dated 01.02.2025 cannot be

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countenanced as there is no provision to entertain an appeal as made by the petitioner. Therefore, keeping open the liberty of the petitioner to approach the appropriate authority for seeking compensation, if the petitioner still chooses to, this Writ Petition stands disposed of. No costs.

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17-02-2026

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Neutral Citation: Yes/No

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