The Odisha High court on Wednesday issued notices to the State Government asking it to file counters in response to a PIl which has alleged that the Government’s decision to close down the State Institute of Educational technology (SIET) as “illegal” and “arbitrary”.
Holding preliminary hearing of the writ, a Division Bench of the HC comprising Chief Justice C Nagappan and Justice Pradeep K Mohanty issued notices to the Government and posted the matter to be heard after four weeks.
It may be mentioned here that as an interim measure, the HC in May this year had restrained the Government from closing the State Institute of Educational technology (SIET) while adjudicating over a writ filed by some employees of the institution which was set up under the School and Mass Education Department to prepare educational technology programme. In the same interim order, the HC had also restrained the State Government from taking any step in disengaging the present employees from service without the leave of the court and their salary shall be paid regularly during the pendency of the case in the court. However, while the writ application of the employees remained thus, a PIl was filed in the Court last month by an advocate of the High Court Khsirod Rout.
Rout in his petition had mentioned that State Institute of Educational technology (SIET) in the State was established in Odisha and five other States by the Union Government in 1983 for promoting alternative approaches to education to children, youth and adults. “While the Centre has a stake in the Institute, the State Government unilaterally cannot take a decision to shut it down,” Rout said in his petition.