![Orissa High Court.](http://media.assettype.com/newindianexpress%2F2024-07%2F55e322f2-0005-40d9-bd35-e4e587a8d88b%2FTNIE_import_2022_2_24_original_Odisha_high_court_.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the Revenue and Disaster Management department to conduct online training programme for all tehsildars and revenue officials in the state on issuing proper eviction notice.
The single judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi issued the direction on Thursday while hearing a petition challenging the initiation of encroachment proceeding against him.
Maninatha Swain, a resident of Pattamundai tehsil area, filed the petition. He challenged the show cause notice issued to him in the encroachment case. Advocate Debasis Tripathy made submissions on Swain’s behalf.
State counsel Ch Satyajit Mishra contended that the plea is premature as instead of filing reply to the show cause notice, the petitioner has preferred this petition.
Considering the submission of the state counsel, Justice Panigrahi directed the petitioner to file his reply to the show cause notice vide Annexure-4 within 10 days. “In such event, the authority concerned shall take a lawful decision on the reply of the petitioner within a period of one month thereafter. Till consideration of the reply to the show cause to be submitted by the petitioner, no coercive action shall be taken against the petitioner pursuant to the above noted encroachment case,” the Justice ordered.
However, Justice Panigrahi further said, “At this juncture, looking at the bizarre state of affairs pertaining to the non-indication of date, non-disclosure of signature and improper details in the notice of eviction in many cases, this court directs the Revenue and Disaster Management department, Government of Odisha to conduct an online training programme for all tehsildars and revenue officials in the state as to how the notice of eviction would be issued properly with detailed particulars so that citizens shall not get unnecessarily confused.”
The online training programme shall be completed in a phased manner within a period of one month from the date of presentation of an authenticated copy of this order, Justice Panigrahi added, while disposing of the petition.