Orissa High Court recalls arrest warrant orders against four officers

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Monday recalled the arrest warrant orders issued by the vacation court for production of the Director of Secondary Education and district education officers (DEOs) of Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur on November 3.The single judge bench of Justice KR Mohapatra, however, said, “The parties shall appear in person before this Court on the date fixed (November 3) to receive further instruction in the matter.”

Enraged over ‘sheer disobedience’, the vacation court had issued the orders on separate contempt of court petitions filed by five teachers of different schools in the three districts on October 28. The petitions were filed for non-compliance of HC orders related to service matters involving salary arrears of the teachers on May 7, 2018. The HC had ordered for calculation of their salary arrears and payment within three months. If the amount is not paid within the stipulated period, the amount shall carry an interest of 10 per cent per annum. 

The arrest warrant orders were recalled after applications were moved for it on Monday and School and Mass Education department’s Standing Counsel Dipti Ranjan Mohapatra submitted that non-appearance of the officers in the contempt petitions on October 28 was ‘unintentional’ and it was ‘due to communication gap’. While seeking recall of the arrest warrant orders, the department Standing Counsel claimed that the May 7, 2018 order had been complied with.

The teachers had filed contempt petitions as the order was not complied with. The petitions were disposed of in August and September 2019 with a direction to the authorities for compliance of the May 7, 2018 order in three more months time.