Chennai: Legal heirs of govt employees who die in service or retire on medical invalidation should now be given jobs within three years, according to a govt order issued on August 4 that amends the Tamil Nadu Civil Services (Appointment on Compassionate Grounds) Rules, 2023.The order was issued after chief secretary N Muruganandam and his predecessor Shiv Das Meena tendered unconditional apologies before the Madras High Court in contempt proceedings. The proceedings arose because successive chief secretaries failed to implement earlier court directions on streamlining compassionate appointments.The contempt case originated from a Sept 19, 2023, order in which Justice Battu Devanand directed the state to constitute a committee, fix a definite time frame for appointments, and examine the feasibility of maintaining a state-wide seniority list of dependents seeking jobs.The order required an action-taken report to be filed within three months. However, with no steps taken, the judge, on June 6, 2025, described the govt’s inaction as “a classic example of bureaucratic lethargy” and initiated suo motu contempt against all officers who served as chief secretary since 2023.Summoned to court, both Muruganandam and Meena admitted lapses, submitted affidavits of apology, and assured that corrective measures were underway. The court recorded the apologies but directed that the amended rules be submitted formally. On July 21, 2025, the contempt petition was closed after the state committed to notifying amendments. The govt order now inserts Rule 13-A, which mandates a single state-wide online seniority list, ensuring applications are uniformly processed across departments and including pending cases. Rule 13-B introduces the three-year deadline for providing jobs, counted from the date of death, court-declared death, or medical invalidation. A transitional provision, Rule 20, allows departments to continue current procedures until the new web portal becomes functional. In addition, several sub-rules and Form III have been scrapped to simplify the system.