P.Mathivanan v. The Secretary To Govt.,

BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT DATED : 29.07.2022

CORAM:

THE HON'BLE MR.MUNISHWAR NATH BHANDARI, THE CHIEF JUSTICE and THE HON'BLE MRS.JUSTICE S.ANANTHI P.Mathivanan ... Petitioner -vs1.The Secretary to Government, Home Department, Secretariat, Chennai - 600 009.

(R1 name deleted vide W.M.P(MD) No.11615/2020) 2.The Secretary to Government, Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department, Secretariat, Chennai - 600 009.

3.Tmt.K.Vasanthamala, The Joint Secretary to Government, Personnel and Administrative Reforms (A) Department, Secretariat, Chennai - 600 009.

(R3 name deleted vide W.M.P(MD) No.3480/2020) ... Respondents

PRAYER: Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, to issue a writ of mandamus to direct the respondents to consider the petitioner's representation dated 27.12.2019 and consequently direct the respondents herein to take necessary steps to enhance the Biometric Attendance System to all the Tamil Nadu State Government Offices within a stipulated time.

For Petitioner :

Mr.S.Saravanan For Respondent :

Mr.P.Thilak Kumar, Government Pleader

O R D E R

[Order of the Court was made by The Hon'ble The CHIEF JUSTICE] The writ petition was filed in the year 2020 seeking a direction to the respondents to enhance the Bio-Metric Attendance System to all the Tamil Nadu State Government Offices.

2. The Registrar General of this Court has filed a report, indicating that the Bio-Metric Attendance System for marking attendance of the staff of the Registry both at the Principal Seat and the

Madurai Bench of Madras High Court is operational and it was made compulsory even in the District Judiciary with effect from 01.10.2020, vide High Court's Circular dated 29.09.2020. Apart from the Bio-Metric machines purchased, the Registry has even placed work order to M/s.Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (ELCOT) Chennai, on 23.02.2021, for procurement of 140 numbers of Bio-Metric machines for newly constituted Court Complexes and even for the existing Court Complexes. Thus, the Bio-Metric Attendance System is operational in the entire State and even in Puducherry.

3. Learned Government Pleader submits that the Bio-Metric Attendance System is operational even in the offices of the State of Tamil Nadu.

4. In view of the report submitted by the Registrar General of this Court and also the submission made by the learned Government Pleader, when the Bio-Metric Attendance System is made operational in all the offices of the Tamil Nadu, nothing would survive in this writ petition.

5. Accordingly, this writ petition is dismissed as infructuous. No costs.

[M.N.B., C.J.] [S.A.I., J.] 29.07.2022 Index :

Yes / No Internet :

Yes / No pkn / vsm To:

The Secretary to Government, Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department, Secretariat, Chennai - 600 009.

THE HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE and S.ANANTHI , J.

pkn / vsm 29.07.2022