CUTTACK: A division bench of the Orissa High Court comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Sanju Panda posted hearing on three petitions seeking exemption of tuition fees by private schools and also waiver of energy charges for the Covid-19 lockdown period to June 11.
Taking up analogous hearing of the petitions, the bench directed that students shall not be deprived of e-classes and they shall be provided with ID and password so as to enable them to take e-classes.
The petitions were filed by Odisha Abibhabak Mahasangha and a Sambalpur-based lawyer Mohammad Mustaq Ansari seeking exemption of tuition fee by private schools as the State Government had declared Covid-19 pandemic a ‘disaster’.
The third petition was filed by one Prahallad Rout of Bhubaneswar, who sought waiver of energy charges in case of self-employed domestic consumers and demand charges of commercial consumer along with monthly tuition fees for students of schools and colleges.
In a counter affidavit to Rout’s petition on Tuesday Joint Secretary, office of Special Relief Commissioner, Bikramaditya Barik submitted that the Supreme Court had declined to entertain the issue and dismissed a petition of one ‘Justice for Rights Foundation’ on May 8.
On the issue of energy charges waiver, Barik submitted that, “looking at the financial condition of distribution companies, waiver of energy charges would lead these companies into financial doldrum.” The Court allowed for hearing the intervention petitions filed by Confederation of Odisha Public Schools (COPS) and management of two other public schools.
In his intervention petition COPS president Badrinath Pattnaik pleaded that exemption of tuition fee will not only render member schools incapable to pay salary of their staff but also make them defaulters as most of them had taken bank loans as well as well as private loans for establishment and running of the schools. The petitioners expected the State Government to provide sufficient funds to private aided and unaided schools that are unable to pay salaries to their teaching and non-teaching staff.
Murder accused back in village, quarantined
Tension prevailed at Khajuripada village under Banki police limits after 26 persons who fled the village following the double murder three months back returned on Monday night.
They were all found in the house of the main accused Kumar Pradhan. All the 26 persons, who are reportedly family members of murder accused, had returned to the village around 11 pm on Monday in a clandestine manner.
The villagers cordoned the house and informed police who rushed to the spot and nabbed all the 26.
“As per the Covid-19 guideline, the 26 persons have been quarantined at a TMC in Baideswar and investigation is on,” said SP, Cuttack (Rural) Radha Binod Panigrahi. A platoon of police force has been deployed to check untoward situation at the village.