Cuttack: The Orissa High Court came down heavily on the Odisha government for denying retirement dues to a former employee for 20 years on the pretext of pending departmental inquiry initiated against him four decades ago.
The court observation came during the hearing of Jadunath Nayak case. Nayak retired as a welfare extension officer (WEO) under Tihidi block in Bhadrak district on April 30, 2001.
The court directed the authorities to treat department proceedings as closed without any result. “The pending of departmental proceedings involving an employee over four decades is itself a sufficient punishment,” the court was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
The High Court directed the authorities for undertaking the calculation of Nayak’s retirement dues within a month.
Single-judge bench of justice Biswanath Rath also said that Nayak is entitled to a six per cent interest on the dues for “inordinate delay in disposal of retirement dues”.
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