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Civil · Reportable judgment

State of Odisha & Ors. vs Jita Luha

Court
Supreme Court of India
Date
2 May 2025
Case No.
Civil Appeal No. 5842 of 2025
Result
Disposed
Bench
J.K. Maheshwari, Aravind Kumar
Citation
[2025] 5 S.C.R. 2799 : 2025 INSC 813
Acts & Sections
Odisha Civil Service (Rehabilitation… Odisha Civil Services (Rehabilitation… Odisha Civil Services (Rehabilitation… Constitution
Supreme Court Reports [2025] 5 S.C.R. 2799 : 2025 INSC 813
Issue for consideration
Issue arose whether directions issued by the High Court regarding grant of rehabilitation assistance/appointment under the Odisha Civil Service (Rehabilitation Assistance) Rules, 1990 warrants interference in view of the Odisha Civil Services (Rehabilitation Assistance) Rules, 2020.
Headnote

Odisha Civil Service (Rehabilitation Assistance) Rules, 1990 – rr.2(b), 8 – Odisha Civil Services (Rehabilitation Assistance) Rules, 2020 – rr.6, 6(9) – Odisha Civil Services (Rehabilitation Assistance) Amendment Rules 2025 – r.9(a), (b), (c) – Rehabilitation assistance/appointment – Grant of – 1990 Rules to regulate recruitment to the state civil services and posts as a measure of rehabilitation assistance – Said Rules applicable to the member of the family – Thereafter, 2020 Rules were notified whereby it was made clear that pending cases as on the date of these Rules to be dealt with in accordance with provision of 2020 Rules – Writ petitions by the respondents aggrieved with the application of rehabilitation assistance in accordance with 2020 Rules in the cases where employees have died during subsistence of 1990 Rule – High Court issued directions clarifying that the date of death of the deceased employee would be relevant factor and the case of the respondents to be considered applying the 1990 Rules and not as per 2020 Rules – Appeals by the State challenging the said direction – During pendency, 2025 Rules notified – Issuance of directions by Supreme Court:

Read the full headnote (1 more paragraph)

Held: Directions issued by the High Court finds force from the amended rules notified in 2025, and is maintained – Respondents at liberty to submit an application, if not submitted, to the jurisdictional authorities along with requisite documents – Where application has already been submitted, additional documents to be submitted to the authority, if required – On receiving the applications the appropriate authority to examine the cases of individual respondents in terms of the 2025 amended rules and pass appropriate order – Said applications not be rejected on technical grounds and to be considered sympathetically strictly in accordance with the Rules – In case the post is available, the competent authority to pass an order of appointment, otherwise the procedure as prescribed to be followed and thereafter the respondents be permitted to join their duties within the time specified – Appointment already granted by the Government extending the benefit of Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme to remain unaffected by the said directions – Individual respondent at liberty to take recourse of law as permissible, in case their claim is rejected by the authorities – Said directions to apply mutatis mutandis in all pending cases. [Para 12]

Keywords: Appointment on compassionate ground · Recruitment to State Civil Services · Rehabilitation assistance · Family in financial distress · Available vacancy · Date of death of deceased · Schools and colleges not governed by block grant · Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme

As published in the Supreme Court Reports, Supreme Court of India. Headnotes prepared by: Nidhi Jain. Text from the Indian Supreme Court Judgments open data set (Dattam Labs), CC BY 4.0.

Full Judgment Text

Judgment J.K. Maheswari, J. 1. Leave granted. 2. The present batch of appeals is in connection with grant of appointment under the Odisha Civil Services Rehabilitation Assistance Rules prevalent in the state, and against an order dated 27.06.2023. The High Court of Orissa, Cuttack by the impugned judgment vide paragraphs 84, 85, 86 and 87 directed as under: “84. In view of the above decision, we are of the view that the application for the petitioners shall be considered under the Odisha Civil Services (Rehabilitation Assistance) Rules, 1990 in as much as on scrutiny, it is found that all t
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