CUTTACK: In a setback to the state government, the Supreme Court has dismissed Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) against an Orissa High Court judgment of March 19, 2025, granting eligibility for full grant-in-aid (GIA) under the GIA Order, 1994 to employees of aided educational institutions.
“Numerous Special Leave Petitions, more than approximately 60 in number, have already been dismissed,” a two-judge bench comprising Justice JK Maheswari and Justice Atul S Chandurkar observed adding, even after hearing the state’s arguments at length, it found no reason to deviate from earlier rulings.
Accordingly, the court declined to entertain the appeals filed by the state and dismissed them. Appeals filed by private individuals were also disposed of, with directions that their cases be handled in line with the High Court’s order.
In Orissa High Court’s March 19, 2025, judgment, Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy held that unaided schools, girls’ schools, higher secondary schools and colleges could not be denied the benefit of GIA under the 1994 order if their cases had been duly recommended by the directorates concerned prior to the repeal of the scheme. The GIA Order, 1994, provided for full salary grants to eligible teaching and non-teaching staff of private educational institutions. It was repealed on February 5, 2004 and replaced with a new order that limited the grant to partial assistance.
Justice Satapathy, while deciding over 100 appeals arising from orders of the State Education Tribunal, upheld tribunal decisions allowing grant-in-aid claims and set aside those rejecting such claims. He directed state authorities to extend the benefits under the 1994 order and complete the entire exercise within six months.
Endorsing this approach, the Supreme Court stated, “The direction as issued by the High Court is completely in consonance with the reasoning as specified therein and the discretion has been left with the state to consider all the aspects and to pass necessary orders subject to verification.”
Taking note of the time elapsed during litigation, the Supreme Court directed that the exercise as directed by the High Court be done by the state within six months from the date of its order.