Cuttack: Two senior IAS officers of the State got relief from Orissa High Court when a Division Bench exempted them from personal appearances in a contempt of court case initiated against them.
State Industries Secretary Parag Gupta and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise department secretary N K Sundray appeared before the Division Bench of Justices B P Das and B K Nayak yesterday as directed.
But since the matter could not be taken up on the day due to certain reasons, the Court exempted the two senior IAS officers from further appearance before it on the matter.
The case inter alia pertains to the closure of State Leather Corporation, which was wound up in 2006 after relocating its permanent employees suitably elsewhere.
However, one disgruntled former Statistical Inspector of the Corporation Durga Charan Mohanty was not satisfied at his relocated place and the new designation.
Mohanty had approached the Odisha High Court and the HC had asked the government to redress the grievances of the petitioner and relocate him in accordance to his qualification and the earlier status he was maintaining.
But when the High Court’s order was not complied with, he again filed a contempt of court case against the concerned officials of the departments.
Admitting the contempt petition of Mohanty, the HC had issued notices asking the two senior IAS officers to appear personally in the court and explain as to why contempt charges would not be framed against them.
PTI
