Orissa HC Imposes Fine On 3 Top State Govt Officers; Know Why

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has imposed a fine on three top officials of the state government for not filing their their affidavits in response to a PIL for two years.

Taking a serious note of the matter on Wednesday, a division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattanaik directed secretary of Home department, vice-chancellor of Utkal University and Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

The bench said despite being granted enough time to file an affidavit on January 27, 2020, the opposite parties have failed to do so till date. “Subject to cost of Rs 5,000 each being deposited with the Orissa High Court Bar Association Welfare Fund on or before March 3, 2022, a last opportunity is granted to them to file their respective counter affidavits by that date,” TNIE quoted the bench as saying.

Stating that the affidavits will be accepted only on production of proof of payment of the fine, the bench fixed March 22 for next hearing on the PIL.

The PIL was filed by Maitree Sansad, a city-based social service organisation on October 5, 2015, seeking investigation into the death of Suman Sharma during a road blockade staged by students of Utkal University near Vani Vihar square on September 26, 2015.

Sansad’s president Ajoy Mohanty, said in the petition that the 43-year-old woman, who was inside a car at the spot during the agitation, reportedly suffered a fatal panic stroke resulting in haemorrhage in the brain and succumbed later in a hospital. Her relatives had filed a complaint with Sahid Nagar police station alleging that the agitation led to her death.

The court had sought a comprehensive affidavit on Sharma’s death from the three officers on January 27, 2020.