The Madras High Court has temporarily put on hold a government order that sought to transfer a prominent paediatrician. This doctor had recently led a march from Mettur to Chennai, advocating for pay scales for government doctors that are on par with those in central government service. The transfer, issued by the State Health and Family Welfare department on August 20, 2025, aimed to move the Associate Professor of Paediatrics from Chennai to Nagapattinam.
Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira issued this interim stay in response to a writ petition filed by Dr. S. Perumal Pillai, who also serves as the president of the Legal Coordination Committee for Government Doctors. The Additional Government Pleader informed the court that Dr. Perumal would be stationed at the Tiruvallur Government Medical College Hospital until further directives are given.
In his sworn statement, Dr. Perumal explained his long-standing fight against the current pay structure for government doctors in Tamil Nadu. He highlighted that their salaries are significantly lower compared to their counterparts in central government roles and in neighboring states like Kerala and Karnataka. He pointed out that while the basic pay is initially the same, a substantial disparity emerges after five years of service.
This pay gap starts at approximately ₹4,000 after five years of service and can grow to about ₹40,000 over two decades, largely due to infrequent pay revisions. Dr. Perumal also noted that a Government Order (G.O.) from September 23, 2009, which was meant to introduce a ‘Vacancy Based Dynamic Career Progression’ system, has unfortunately never been implemented.
To draw attention to these issues, Dr. Perumal organized a march from Dr. Lakshmi Narasimhan’s memorial in Mettur to Chennai. He took compensatory leave from June 11 to 13, 2025, permission leave on June 14, and casual leave from June 16 to 19, 2025. He asserted that he applied for this leave using the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System and explicitly informed his superior about the purpose of his absence.
Following his protest, on August 14, 2025, the Director of Medical Education and Research initiated disciplinary proceedings against Dr. Perumal, accusing him of protesting against the State government. A charge memo was issued, and then, on August 20, the transfer order was released. The stated reason for the transfer was his alleged failure to return to duty after his leave request for June 16 to 19, 2025, was rejected.
The official Government Order read: “Dr. S. Perumal Pillai, Associate Professor of Paediatrics, Madras Medical College/Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Chennai is transferred and posted as Associate Professor of Paediatrics in Government Medical College, Nagapattinam vice Dr.R.V. Dhakshayani, transferred, pending initiation of disciplinary action against him.”
Challenging this transfer, Dr. Perumal argued in his affidavit that the Health Secretary had effectively predetermined his punishment even before the inquiry began. He stated that such a ‘penal transfer’ makes the ongoing disciplinary proceedings meaningless and that the actions of the respondents are clearly ‘vindictive, retaliatory, and a violation of the principles of natural justice.’