Authority: High Court of Odisha, Cuttack (Bench of Justice R.K. Pattanaik)
Order Date: 07 October 2026
Case Overview
- Parties: Petitioners – Umakanta Panda & Anr. (institution); Opposite parties – State of Odisha and others.
- Counsel: Petitioners represented by Advocate B. Satapathy; State represented by AGA S. Behera.
- Petition Relief Sought: Direction to release salary components/Grant-in-Aid to staff either from 1 June 2000 or from the date of eligibility as per GIA Order, 1994, instead of Block Grant effective 1 January 2004 under Grant-in-Aid Order, 2004.
- Legal Basis Cited: Judgment in FAO No.509 of 2014 disposed on 19 March 2025, upheld by the Apex Court on 25 March 2026 while dismissing SLP(Civil) Diary No.6943 of 2026.
- Additional Precedents: Ratnakar Mohapatra decision (supra) indicating no bar to extend benefits under GIA Order, 1994; State of Odisha v. Anup Kumar Senapati (2019) 19 SCC 626 held not a bar; similar benefit granted in WP(C) No.21651 of 2026 (order dated 15 July 2026).
- Court’s Reasoning: In view of the settled position of law affirmed by the Apex Court, the court finds no impediment to granting the requested salary components/Grant-in-Aid.
Final Outcome
- The writ petition stands disposed.
- The State (opposite party No.2) is directed to consider the representation annexed as Annexure‑1 and to pass an order on the matter preferably within four weeks from receipt of this order.
- A copy of the order shall be handed to the State’s counsel for intimation and compliance; an urgent certified copy of the order is to be issued as per rules.
Topics: Grant-in-Aid, Judicial Direction, Staff Salary