Aurangabad: The state government approved a woman medical officer’s plea for voluntary retirement on December 4, six months after her death fearing a rap from the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT).Incidentally, the government had sanctioned the plea by the woman’s husband—a doctor by profession—filed on the same grounds but declined the woman’s plea to avail voluntray retirement citing flimsy technical reasons.Pushpa Wamanrao Salunke (49), who was working as a medical officer at the sub-district hospital at Basmat in Hingoli district, had applied for voluntary retirement in 2016 after completing 20 years of service as she was suffering from breast cancer. Authorities rejected her application citing that she had not completed 20 years of service.Salunke was appointed on ad hoc basis as is the norm and was contemplating regular appointment through Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).Her services were resumed with a technical gap of one day till her appointment was regularized by MPSC. “The government has itself condoned the one-day gap and considered the whole length of service as an uninterrupted one,” said lawyer Shamsunder B Patil who represented Salunke in the tribunal.However, the government still did not accept her application. Salunke approached the tribunal through Patil challenging the move and seeking directions to the government to consider her plea.The tribunal comprising Justices M T Joshi (vice-chairman) and Atul raj Chadha (member), while allowing her application on April 11, 2018, quashed the government communication rejecting the doctor’s plea.The bench directed that “The applicant’s request for voluntary retirement submitted by her through notice dated March 3, 2016 be accepted and consequential orders be issued within 30 days from the date of this order.’’The tribunal also observed, “Incase the government fails to pass an eloquent and express order of acceptance of voluntary retirement, consequences as prescribed by Maharashtra Civic Services (Pension) Rules, 1982 such as of deeming effect shall follow and the applicant shall be free to act on that basis.’’Despite the MAT order, the government did not grant Salunke voluntary retirement which compelled the medical officer to file a contempt application drawing the attention of the tribunal toward non-compliance of its order.However, Salunke died of her illness in June. “The government issued a resolution declaring that the medical officer has taken voluntary retirement on December 4,” said Patil adding that her kin would get the pension benefits.

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