Aparajita Sarangi

Cuttack, May 16: Orissa High Court today imposed a penalty of Rs 1,000 each on state school and mass education secretary Aparajita Sarangi and two other officials after finding them guilty of contempt of court for non-compliance of an order passed in July 2010.

The division bench of Justice B.P. Das and Justice B.K. Mishra imposed the fine while ordering civil imprisonment for seven days in case of non-payment.

The other two officers, on whom the fine has been imposed, are secondary education director Srikant Prusty and Cuttack circle inspector of schools Brundaban Sarpathy. The division bench issued the order on a contempt petition filed by Swarnalata Dei, an assistant teacher in Orissa Police High School in Cuttack.

On April 25, the bench initiated contempt proceedings against the three officers while giving them opportunity for hearing in person on May 16. The Cuttack circle inspector of schools submitted a reply today, but the bench rejected it.

Earlier acting on her petition, the high court, on July 20, 2010, ordered for antedating her date of appointment to January 2, 1992, and granting all consequential benefits to her within three months. She returned to the high court when the order had not been implemented.

Swarnalata was appointed as a trained graduate teacher of Padmolav Balika Uchha Vidyalaya on January 2, 1992, and on February 21, 1994, she was assigned as headmistress in-charge by the management. On July 5, 1994, in the renewal recognition form for 1994-95, her name was forwarded to the Board of Secondary Education, Orissa, indicating therein that the petitioner was a trained graduate teacher. On April 29, 1995, secretary of the school forwarded her name for approval of her service along with other members of the school staff to enable her to enter into the grant-in-aid fold.

But on March 6, 1999, the inspector of schools approved her service from the date she had reported for duty in the school without giving specific date and did not approve the period of her past service. Pursuant to the approval of her service, she was given salary from July 1999, in the initial scale of pay, depriving her of increment benefit.