Fri Mar 07 11:59:35 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Government Penalized ₹5 Lakh for Frivolous Appeal
**Chennai, March 7, 2025** – The Madras High Court has levied a ₹5 lakh fine against the Tamil Nadu government for filing a “frivolous” appeal challenging a single judge’s order. The appeal concerned the appointment of a sanitary worker, T. Govinthammal, at St. Christopher’s College of Education in Chennai.
The government appealed a November 2023 ruling by Justice R.N. Manjula, which directed the approval of Govinthammal’s appointment, retroactive to June 24, 2019. The court deemed the appeal unnecessary as the matter had already been addressed by the Supreme Court in a similar case.
A Division Bench, comprising Justices R. Subramanian and G. Arul Murugan, dismissed the appeal, stating that the government’s action constituted a re-agitation of a settled issue. The court ordered the government to pay ₹2.5 lakh to Govinthammal and deposit the remaining ₹2.5 lakh with the Madras High Court Legal Services Committee within 15 days. The ruling highlights the court’s disapproval of the government’s wasteful litigation.
First Piper 