Order/Decision Date: Hearing on 27‑05‑2026; order signed 05‑06‑2026.
Related Prior Orders: High Court of Orissa order dated 19‑03‑2025 in FAO No. 705/2019; Supreme Court batch order dated 25‑03‑2026 in Muslemin Mahammad & Ors. v. State of Odisha & Ors. (Civil Appeal No. 3904/2026).
Period of Dispute: Implementation of Grant‑in‑Aid directions issued by the High Court.
Counsel for Petitioners: M K Sahoo, A Deb Kumar, A Deepa, Nagendra Kasana, Neeta Kasana, Anjana Kasana, Binod Ch Sabat, Tapas Das, Subhasish Mohanty, Mata Prasad Singh, Amit Kumar Srivastava, Ankit Bhatnagar, Gitesh Kumari, Rajiv Agnihotri, Ayush Anand, Monu Kumar.
Counsel for Respondents: S. S. Nehra, Bharat Sangal, Shalini, Hemant Kumar Tripathi, Babita Kushwaha.
Bench: Hon’ble Mr. Justice J.K. Maheshwari, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Atul S. Chandurkar.
Petitioners sought relief concerning the Grant‑in‑Aid direction issued by the High Court of Odisha.
The core issue was whether the Supreme Court should entertain the Special Leave Petitions, given that similar matters had already been adjudicated in a batch of appeals.
No specific statutory violation or financial penalty was alleged; the dispute centered on procedural and substantive merits of the Grant‑in‑Aid implementation.
Findings & Observations
The Court observed that the matter was already decided in the batch of appeals (Muslemin Mahammad & Ors. v. State of Odisha & Ors.) dated 25‑03‑2026.
Paragraphs 7‑9 of that order were quoted:
Para 7: The High Court’s direction aligns with the Court’s reasoning; discretion remains with the State to verify and implement the orders.
Para 8: Over 60 similar SLPs have been dismissed; the Court, after hearing the Advocate General, will not deviate from its earlier stance.
Para 9: The State must complete the exercise directed by the High Court within six months from the order date.
Accordingly, the present SLPs fall within the scope of the earlier decision and do not warrant separate adjudication.
Penalties / Settlements / Directions
Delay Condoned: For SLP(C) No. 19560/2026 and the other listed petitions.
Permission to File: Granted for SLPs Nos. 19558, 19559, 19561‑19565, 19581‑19582.
Disposition: All the Special Leave Petitions are dismissed in the terms of the 25‑03‑2026 order.
No monetary penalties or fines were imposed.
Corrective Actions & Future Obligations
The State of Odisha is directed to implement the Grant‑in‑Aid measures within six months from 25‑03‑2026.
Private parties’ cases are to be considered “in its right earnest as expeditiously as possible,” as per the Court’s observation.
Any pending applications, including impleadment or intervention requests, are ordered to stand disposed of.
Final Ruling & Enforcement
The Supreme Court dismissed all the listed Special Leave Petitions, referencing the earlier batch order.
All pending applications, if any, are ordered to stand disposed of.
The order is effective immediately, and the State must comply with the six‑month implementation timeline.
