Madras High Court directs TN government to regulate usage of mobile phones in government offices

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has directed the State government to issue appropriate circular and instructions regulating the usage of mobile phones inside office premises during working hours.

Justice SM Subramaniam, in his order, said that though public servants using mobile phones during office hours is now a normal scenario, usage of the devices during work hours is a grave misconduct. Therefore, Government Department officials should not be allowed to use mobile phones inside office for personal use. If at all any emergency call is to be attended, proper permission must be obtained from superiors. Moreover, the phones must be either switched off or kept in vibration or silent mode.
Hence the court is of the opinion that the State Health Secretary should issue instructions to all government offices to check indiscipline and ensure that mobile phones are either kept in a common cloakroom or used for emergency calls, the Judge said.
In case of guidelines being violated, strict action would be initiated under the Tamil Nadu Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1973, the Judge said.
The court passed the direction while rejecting a petition by DS Radhika, Superintendent, Regional Workshop (Health), Tiruchy, challenging her suspension order. The suspension was made after the petitioner on January 29, took a video of her co-employees and officers at the workplace using her mobile phone, despite being warned.