HC drops contempt cases against three officials

Cuttack, Jan 19 (PTI) The Orissa High Court todaydecided to drop contempt proceedings initiated againstthree officials of school and mass education department,including its principal secretary Aparajita Sarangi.

The relief came after the state government told the HCthat it would not give effect to recent orders of thedepartment on promotion of some primary school teachers.

The HC had suo motu drawn contempt cases againstSarangi, an IAS officer, and two others earlier this month forgiving promotion to some school teachers although their caseswere pending disposal in the court. ��

However, considering the request of government thatpromotion of teachers was necessary to fill about 18,000 postsof headmasters in primary schools, the Division Bench ofJustice B P Das and Justice Kumari Sanju Panda said the casewould be disposed off on January 25 with final orders.

The department''s standing counsel Bibhu Tripathysbubmitted that after due consultations with the advocategeneral, the department has now decided not to give effect tothe promotion orders of the teachers issued earlier and nopromotion benefit has yet been disbursed to any one. ���������� The case inter alia pertains to promotion of someschool teachers that had been pending ever since ElementaryCadre Rules were introduced for school teachers in 1997.

Primary school teachers were declared governmentservants in 1989 and minor school teachers got that status in1991. A gradation list of all teachers was prepared in 1997.

The government in 2009 came out with a notification topromote at least 18,000 teachers from Grade 4 to Grade 3 tofill up vacant post of headmasters. The notification waschallenged by the minor school teachers in the StateAdministrative Tribunal which in turn directed the governmentnot to consider promotional avenues of those teachers who weredeclared government servants in 1989.

Challenging the Tribunal order, primary schoolteachers approached the HC which in turn quashed the tribunalorder and asked government not to take any step on promotionof teachers without the leave of the court.