Orissa High Court dismisses petition 10 years after issuing status quo order

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court brought an end to nearly a decade-old legal dispute by declining to interfere with the State government’s order on the location of headquarters of Nuagada tehsil at Dogharia in Deogarh district.

The court’s refusal came on Monday, almost 10 years after issuing an order for maintaining status quo on a petition filed by 11 residents of Nuagada. They challenged the notification locating the headquarters of the Nuagada tehsil at Dogharia.

The Revenue and Disaster Management department issued the notification on May 10, 2012. The court had issued the interim status quo order on June 30, 2012.

While vacating the interim order and dismissing the petition the division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray said the petitioners have been unable to show in what manner the impugned decision to shift the tehsil headquarters could be said to be patently arbitrary, discriminatory or malafide. 

On the contrary, the State government’s counter affidavit points out that Dogharia is located at a distance of just about five kms from Nuagada and there is insufficient land available there for constructing of a tehsil office as well as staff quarters. 

“In that view of the matter, the court is not inclined to interfere with the impugned order dated 10th May, 2012 shifting the headquarters of the tehsil from Nuagada to Dogharia,” the bench said.