The Orissa High Court has sought a formal response from the Odisha government over its alleged failure to take action against members of the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Association and the Orissa Revenue Employees Sangha (ORES) for going on strike earlier this year, in apparent violation of service conduct rules. The notice was issued on Tuesday while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that called for strict enforcement of the Orissa Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1959, which explicitly bar government employees from resorting to strikes.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MS Raman directed the state government to file its reply within one week. The court has scheduled the matter for further hearing after the government submits its response. The case has brought renewed focus on the legality of strikes by government officials and the responsibility of the state to act against such violations.
Orissa High Court Notice to Odisha Government Over PIL on Conduct Rules
The PIL has been filed by Pratap Chandra Sahoo, a resident of Cuttack, who has urged the court to ensure strict implementation of the Orissa Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1959. Through the petition, Sahoo has sought directions to the state government to issue clear guidelines to all departments and initiate disciplinary action against officials who participated in the strike.
The petitioner has demanded that punitive measures such as wage deduction, dismissal, or any other statutory action be enforced against those who violated the rules. Advocate Anup Kumar Mohapatra appeared on behalf of the petitioner, while Additional Government Advocate Debashis Tripathy represented the state during the hearing.
According to the plea, despite a large-scale disruption of administrative work, the government failed to initiate any disciplinary proceedings against the striking officials, which, the petitioner argues, has weakened the rule of law.
Strike Triggered by Attack on OAS Officer in Bhubaneswar
The sequence of events leading to the mass protest began on June 30 with the alleged assault on OAS officer Ratnakar Sahoo inside the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation office. Following the incident, police acted swiftly and arrested corporator Jeevan Rout and two of his associates.
However, the OAS Association alleged that another corporator, Jagannath Pradhan, was the mastermind behind the attack and demanded his immediate arrest. When this demand was not met, OAS officers across more than 20 districts reportedly went on mass leave in protest. This led to a near standstill in administrative functioning for two days across large parts of the state.
Despite the strike being in clear violation of service conduct rules, no disciplinary action was taken against the participating officers, the petitioner has alleged.
Orissa High Court Notice to Odisha Government After ORES Strike
The petitioner further claimed that the government’s inaction following the OAS protest emboldened other employee bodies to follow the same path. Citing this, he pointed out that the Orissa Revenue Employees Sangha (ORES) launched a week-long strike from August 11, pressing for a 10-point charter of demands.
The demands reportedly included issues such as pay revision, health insurance coverage, and other service-related benefits. Once again, the petitioner alleged, the strike caused significant disruption to public services, yet no meaningful disciplinary steps were taken against those who participated.
This, he argued, set a dangerous precedent where repeated violations of service rules could occur without consequences.
Court Asked to Enforce Rule of Law and Penal Action
The PIL specifically refers to Section 8 of the Orissa Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1959, which clearly prohibits any form of strike by government employees. By allowing such protests to go unpunished, the petitioner contended that the state government has failed in its duty to uphold statutory provisions.
Alleging a breakdown of administrative discipline and rule of law, the petitioner urged the High Court to intervene and ensure that all erring officials are penalised strictly in accordance with existing legal provisions.
With the High Court now seeking a formal reply from the Odisha government, the case is expected to test how firmly the state enforces service conduct rules against collective protests by its employees in the future.
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