New Delhi, Mar 11: Lauding the services of nurses who joined Delhi government hospitals on contract during the indefinite strike by permanent staff nurses in May 1998, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has asked the authorities to accord preference to them while filling up vacancies in future. Disposing off petitions by 21 nurses who were denied regularisation on account of over age, the tribunal asked the government to consider them favourably against the available vacancies ''by according them age relaxation for the period of service they have already rendered.''
''It cannot be ignored that the appellants rendered service to the government at a time when everything was in a mess on account of indefinite strike by nurses in hospitals,'' the tribunal said.
The applicants, who were taken on contract after an interview by technical recruitment cell, had applied for confirmation following an advertisement four months later on September 1, 1998. The government denied regularisation on the ground that they had crossed the age bar of 32 years under the recruitment rules for the post.

Challenging the move, the nurses contended before the tribunal that at the time of absorption on a temporary basis, applications were invited from applicants upto the age of 65 years. The government, however, said the appointment was on contract with an understanding that it was short term with no implicit or explicit understanding about their regularisation.


The tribunal said they acted as ''angels'' to the suffering patients and could not be left midstream.
Bureau Report