Contractual employees engaged through outsourcing agencies without public recruitment protocols hold no vested right to continue service. Their termination, particularly during investigations into fraudulent activities, is legally valid and not subject to interference under writ jurisdiction absent proof of perversity or illegality.

JUDGMENT :

M. JOTHIRAMAN, J.

1. The present intra Court appeals have been instituted challenging the writ orders passed in the writ petitions on different dates. Since the issues to be considered are common, these writ appeals have been tagged together, heard together and are being disposed of by this common judgment.

2. The unsuccessful writ petitioner has preferred writ appeal in WA.(MD)No.267 of 2023. All other writ appeals have been filed by the unsuccessful official respondents.

3. It is the case of the appellant/writ petitioner in WP.(MD)No.14175 of 2020 that Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely "Support to State Extension Program for Extension Reforms Scheme (SSEPERS)- Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA)” is being implemented to operate the Agricultural Extension Reforms across the country. This scheme is being implemented in 385 blocks of all 31 Districts of Tamil Nadu except Chennai, following the guidelines issued by the Government of India. In the guidelines, the State Government is permitted to engage the Block Technology Manager (BTM) and Assistant Technology Manager (ATM) on contract basis through the mechanism identified by the State with graduate in Agriculture/Allied Sector as educational qualification. The Government of India has released the required funds for implementation of the said Scheme in the ratio of 60:40 between the Central Government and the State Government. As per ATMA Guidelines, the posts of Block Technology Manager and the Assistant Technology Managers can be engaged at block level on contract basis to carry out the extension activities. As per the said scheme, the New Life Placements Private Limited appointed the petitioner as Block Technology Manager in Budalur Block, Thanjavur District. Initially, he was appointed as Assistant Technology Manager and it was in temporary basis. He was paid with monthly honorarium of Rs. 20,000/- and monthly allowance of Rs.5000/-. Periodically, his contract employment was extended by the New Life Placements Private Limited and the appellant is continuously working as Block Technology Manager at Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) Project in the office of the Assistant Director of Agriculture, Budalur Block, Thanjavur District. However, all of a sudden, without issuing any notice and conducting any enquiry, the service of the appellant was terminated by the second respondent. The learned Writ Court by an order dated 23.01.2023 dismissed the writ petition on the ground that the appellant was engaged only based on the scheme and no appointment order was issued to him. Hence, the termination order issued by the officials is perfectly valid and there is no need to issuing show cause notice before issuing the order of termination. Aggrieved over the same, the writ petitioner has preferred WA.(MD)No.267 of 2023.

4. The first respondent in WA.(MD)No.360 of 2026/ K.Chandramohan has challenged the termination order issued by the officials. According to him, he was working as temporary contractual employee under ATMA scheme. By the impugned order dated 29.09.2020 by the District Collector, Dindigul, he was terminated from service. The learned Writ Cou