Rajkumar R Vs State of Tamil Nadu represented by its Principal Secretary to the Government

20.J.Nathaniel 21.S.Karthik Raja 22.L.Prabhakaran 23.J.Arun Prakash 24.A.Surya 25.C.Aravindhan 26.S.Gopal 27.M.Bala Velayutham 28.G.Muthuraja 29.V.Ashok Kumar 30.P. Ramachandran 31.L. Santhosh Kumar 32.G. Somanathan ... Petitioners

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Vs

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1.State of Tamil Nadu, Represented by its Principal Secretary to the Government, Department of Health and Family Welfare (L1) Department, Fort St.George, Chennai - 9.

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2.The Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, No.359, Anna Salai, Chennai - 6.

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3.Medical Services Recruitment Board, Represented by its Member Secretary, 7th Floor, Dms Buildings, 359, Anna Salai, Teynampet, Chennai - 600 006. ... Respondents

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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Prayer: Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, praying this Court to issue a Writ of CERTIORARIFIED MANDAMUS, to call for the records pertaining to the Impugned Provisional Selection List in PSL.No.01/MRB/2026 dated 13.01.2026 on the file of the Respondent No.3 and quash the same as illegal in so far as not including the Petitioners are concerned and consequently for a direction, directing the Respondents to revise the provisional selection list for the post of Health Inspector Grade - II by including the names of the Petitioners who have completed their one year course certificate from Gandhigram Rural Institute in accordance with G.O.Ms.No.338 Health and Family Welfare (L1) Department, dated 02.08.2019 and G.O.Ms.No.443, Health and Family Welfare (L1) Department, dated 02.08.2019.

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For Petitioner : Mr.T.Aswin Raja Simman For R1 & R2 : Mr.Ravindran Additional Advocate General Assisted by Mr.C.Venkatesh Kumar Special Government Pleader For R3 : Mr.P.Yasmin Begum Standing Counsel

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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WP(MD) No.2557 of 2026:-

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1.Sivasankaran 2.Nantha N 3.Ajith P 4.Thanga Pandian V ... Petitioners

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Vs

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1.State of Tamil Nadu, Represented byits Principal Secretary to the Government, Department of Health and Family Welfare (L1) Department, Fort St. George, Chennai - 9.

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2.The Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, No.359, Anna Salai, Chennai - 6.

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3.Medical Services Recruitment Board, Represented by its Member Secretary, 7th Floor, Dms Buildings, 359,Anna Salai, Teynampet, Chennai - 600 006. ...Respondents

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Prayer:- Writ of CERTIORARIFIED MANDAMUS, to call for the records pertaining to the Impugned Provisional Selection List in PSL No.01/MRB/2026 dated 13.01.2026 on the file of the Respondent No.3 and quash the same as illegal in so far as not

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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including the Petitioners are concerned and consequently for a direction, directing the Respondents to revise the provisional selection list for the post of Health Inspector Grade - II by including the names of the 1st to 3rd Petitioner who have completed their one year course certificate from Sri Sai Bharath college of Arts and Science in Dindigul affiliated with Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai in accordance with G.O.Ms.No.338, Health and Family Welfare (L1) Department, dated 02.08.2019 and G.O.Ms.No.443, Health and Family Welfare (L1) Department, dated 14.10.2025 within the time period stipulated by this Court.

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For Petitioner : Mr.R.Maheswaran For R1 & R2 : Mr.Ravindran Additional Advocate General Assisted by Mr.C.Venkatesh Kumar Special Government Pleader For R3 : Mr.P.Yasmin Begum Standing Counsel

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C O M M O N O R D E R

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The petitioners have applied for the post of Health Inspector Grade II, called for by the Medical Services Recruitment

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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Board, vide Notification, dated 27.10.2024. The grievance of the petitioners is that though they have been shortlisted for certificate verification, they have been excluded in the Provisional Selection List, dated 13.01.2026. Challenging the same, the petitioners have approached this Court.

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2.Since these writ petitions have been filed challenging the Provisional Selection List, dated 13.01.2026 issued by the Medical Services Recruitment Board, these writ petitions are taken up together and disposed of by this common order.

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3.The petitioners in WP(MD) No.1508 of 2026 have completed SSLC, Higher Secondary Course (Biology Group), B.Sc., Chemistry and also completed Post Graduate Diploma in Sanitary Inspector Couse at Gandhigram Rural Insitute.

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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The petitioners in WP(MD) No.2557 of 2026 have completed SSLC, Higher Secondary Course (Biology Group), B.Sc., Chemistry. The petitioners 1 to 3 have completed Post Graduate Diploma in Sanitary Inspector Couse at Sri Sai Bharath College of Arts and Science and the fourth petitioner has completed one year Diploma Course at Mary Matha College of Arts and Science. According to the petitioners, the above Colleges are affiliated with Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai.

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All the petitioners have applied for the post of Health Inspector Grade II, as per the Notification No.16/MRB/2025, dated 27.10.2025; they have participated in the written examination; they have been shortlisted for certificate verification, however, they have been excluded in the Provisional Selection list, dated 13.01.2026, on the ground that the Diploma qualification acquired by the petitioners is not equivalent to the qualification prescribed in the Notification.

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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6.Today(11.02.2026), when these writ petitions are taken

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up for hearing, the learned counsel on either side submit that similar writ petitions filed before the Principal Seat of this Court in WP.Nos.1863 & 1868 of 2026 were allowed, by order, dated 28.01.2026 and the relevant portions are extracted as under:-

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37. As already held by this Court, G.O. (Ms.) No.443 is a continuation of G.O. (Ms.) No.338 and conjunctively reading both the Government Orders, it is crystal clear that syllabus takes primacy and that being the case, in the absence of any dispute with regard to the syllabus and the contents of the syllabus underwent by the petitioners in PG-SI course, in comparison with PG-ESS course, it could be held with all certainty that PG-ESS and PG-SI are one and the same, except for the change in the name of the course. As already held above, the nomenclature/name of the course not being the determining factor and equivalency having already been granted to PG-ESS and the 2nd respondent having held that the syllabus offered in the PG-ESS course is similar to the Government certified course, PG-SI and PG-ESS courses having been held to be one and the same, it could, without an iota of dispute, be held that PG-ESS and PG-SI course are similar and, therefore, equivalence certificate already granted to PG-ESS course vide G.O. (Ms.) No.45 dated 19.04.2022, would get transposed to PG-SI course

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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as well and PG-SI course would have to be held to be equivalent to the Government certificate course and necessarily, the relaxation granted vide G.O. (Ms.) No.338, which has been carried on in G.O. (Ms.) No.443 as an one-time measure with respect to the one year course would enure to the benefit of the petitioners and, therefore, their candidature will have to be affirmatively considered by the 3rd respondent by including their names in the provisional selection, if otherwise their candidature is in order and they satisfy the other conditions prescribed in the notification.

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38. For the reasons aforesaid, both the writ petitions are allowed with the following directions :-

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i) The 3rd respondent is directed to draw a fresh provisional list by including the names of the petitioners in the order of their merit and based adhering to the communal reservation and publish fresh provisional list forthwith;

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ii) Upon inclusion of the names of the petitioners in the fresh provision list in order of their merit and adhering to the communal reservation, the 3rd respondent is directed to proceed with the further selection process in accordance with law.

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iii) Consequently, connected miscellaneous petitions are closed. There shall be no order as to costs.

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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In view of the above, these writ petitions are allowed in the above terms. No costs. Consequently, connected Miscellaneous petitions are closed.

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11.02.2026

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NCC : Yes / No. Index : Yes / No. Internet : Yes / No. vrn

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

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WP(MD) Nos.1508 & 2557 of 2026

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To

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1.State of Tamil Nadu, Represented by its Principal Secretary to the Government, Department of Health and Family Welfare (L1) Department, Fort St.George,

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