The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Andhra Pradesh High Court's interim order invalidating P Seshadri's extension of service with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), and said that the courts should not encourage employees' service related petitions.
Tuesday's judgment paves the way for Seshadri alias 'Dollar Seshadri' to continue as the TTD's Officer On Special Duty (OSD) up to June 2011.
In its interim order on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Congress leader M Gopal Reddy that challenged the extension and implied that Seshadri was involved in the disappearance of gold dollars from the temple treasury, the AP High Court had said that the extension was invalid.
Seshadri had then moved the Supreme Court, saying that a government-appointed probe panel had exonerated him against any involvement in the disappearance of 300 gold dollars from the temple treasury. The panel had given Seshadri a clean-chit and had raised no objections to his term being extended.
Seshadri appealed to the Apex Court that his absence may adversely affect the regular activities of the Tirumala temple and may also hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees. He had said that the termination of his services as OSD would also deprive him of his livelihood.
Acting on Seshadri's plea, the Apex Court justified the government's decision of extending his service, and found fault in the Andhra Pradesh High Court's decision of invalidating the extension of his services.
The Apex Court opined that the courts should not interfere in the employees' terms of service, rules and regulations. The Apex Court also made it clear that the courts should not encourage petitions of employees on their service matters, and quashed the dismissing orders of the High Court against Seshadri.