The Madras High Court has decided to hold a special sitting on Sunday (January 21, 2024) to hear an urgent public interest litigation petition filed against the decision to close Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry for half a day due to Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha (temple consecration) at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on Monday (January 22, 2024).
First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy are slated to hear the PIL petition in open court at 10:30 am on Sunday. According to court sources, the Chief Justice accepted a request for an urgent hearing since JIPMER had issued the circular regarding the closure only on Friday (January 19, 2024).
The circular issued by Senior Administrative Officer Hawa Singh, with the approval of the Director, stated that the institute shall remain closed till 2:30 pm on January 22, 2024 but “the emergency services will run as usual.” It had been issued pursuant to an Office Memorandum from the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
The Office Memorandum, issued on Thursday (January 18, 2024), stated that the Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha would be celebrated across the country on Monday. “To enable employees to participate in the celebrations, it has been decided that all central government offices, central institutions and central industrial establishments throughout India will be closed for half day till 14:30 hours on January 22, 2024,” it read.
The office memorandum was communicated to all Ministries as well as central government departments. However, the PIL petitioner before the High Court questioned how could a premier government medical institution in the Union Territory could close down for half a day barring the emergency services.
