In its attempt to shift the entire blame on the Orissa High Court over the recent termination of nearly 4,000 contract teachers, the State Government had egg on its face on Thursday. The High Court came down heavily on the Government for its evil design in shifting the blame on the court and rejected the compliance reports filed by the Government.
Rejecting the report filed by School and Mass Education Secretary Ranjana Chopra, the High Court asked her to submit a fresh affidavit by Friday showing cause as to why contempt of court proceedings shall not be initiated against her and posted the matter to be heard again on December 1.
“We never asked you (Government) to terminate the services of these teachers. You appointed them in violation of Court’s order and in order to escape from the contempt of court charges, you terminated their services saying you have done it as per the Court’s orders,” observed verbally a Division Bench of Justices Kumari Sanju Panda and Dr DP Choudhury while rejecting the Government’s contentions.
The Mass Education Secretary in the third paragraph of her compliance report had mentioned, “...as per the Honourable High Court’s direction, the services of contract teachers appointed after June 11, 2015 have been terminated.” The court took strong exceptions to this stand of the Government saying the court had at no point of time directed the Government to terminate the services of the teachers appointed in violation of the court’s order.
One Seemanchal Sahu had moved the High Court in a civil contempt of court case making Ranjana Chopra as respondent stating that despite the court slapping a stay on recruitment of contract teachers on June 11 this year, the Government went ahead in appointing the teachers.