Cuttack: Orissa high court has directed the state to place on record by May 21 the progress made by a high-power committee, constituted to examine pension benefits for employees of aided educational institutions, and warned that punitive action could follow if lapses were found on the part of its members.A division bench of Justices Krishna S Dixit and Chittaranjan Dash on May 14, while hearing a writ appeal filed by the state govt, also directed it to disclose the names of the members of the committee, headed by a retired chief secretary.The bench was hearing the writ appeal against a Jan 12, 2024, order of a single judge, which had ruled that teaching and non-teaching employees of non-govt aided educational institutions, receiving grants under the grant-in-aid orders from 2004 onwards, are entitled to pension and other retiral benefits.During the hearing, state counsel S B Mohanty sought adjournment of the matter till the court resumes after summer vacation.Advocate Purushottam Chuli, representing several of the employees, strongly opposed the plea, and reminded the court that it had earlier made it clear that no further adjournment would be granted.In its Feb 17 order, the bench had recorded the submission of advocate general Pitambar Acharya that the state had constituted a high-power committee to examine the grievances of the employees, and had sought two months’ time to complete the exercise.Accepting the request then, the court had observed that the state appeared inclined to “safeguard interest of the employees by devising some viable way” and posted the matter after eight weeks, while cautioning that no further adjournment would be allowed.On May 14, however, the bench said it was “very reluctantly” granting time till May 21.“At the same time, the names of Committee Members should be disclosed to the Court, so that it can take some punitive action, if there is any lapse on them,” the bench said.The dispute concerns teaching and non-teaching employees working in non-govt aided educational institutions, including colleges, high schools, senior basic schools, middle English schools, Sanskrit tolls and junior basic schools.The employees had moved the high court after their claim to get the benefit of pension and other pensionary benefits under the Odisha Aided Educational Institutions’ Employees’ Retirement Benefit Rules, 1981, were rejected.The state govt took the stand that only those employees who are under “Direct Payment System” are entitled to get the benefits under Rule 3.But on Jan 12, 2024, the single judge had directed the state govt to extend the benefit of pension and other pensionary benefits, as due and admissible in terms of the provisions contained under Rule 3, to the petitioners within a period of three months.The issue had returned to the high court with the state govt filing the writ appeal against it the same year.
