1. The petitioner filed O.A.No.3791 of 2001 before the Tamil Nadu State Administrative Tribunal, challenging an order dated 21.08.2000 passed by the second respondent District Project Nutrition Officer, terminating her services.

2. In the original application, notice of motion was ordered on 19.06.2001. Pending the original application, though the petitioner sought for an interim order, no interim order was granted by the Tribunal.

3. In view of the abolition of the Tribunal, the matter stood transferred to this Court and was re-numbered as W.P.No.48448 of 2006.

4. It is seen from the records that the petitioner was working as a Community Nutrition Worker under the third respondent Community Nutrition Instructor, Natrampalli, Vellore District. She had absented herself from 02.06.1998 without any prior intimation. This fact was also intimated to the District Collector, Vellore and a note was put up by his office on 21.02.2000. On the basis of the existing orders of the Government covering the nature of employment, the second respondent terminated the services of the petitioner, who by then was not attending to work for more than one year and two months.

5. The contention