In an exemplary punishment meted out for defying the judicial ruling, the Principal of government-run Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Burla in Sambalpur district has been made to pay the price for the contemptuous disregard to a court order.

The principal, despite directions issued by a court, had not taken the official steps to reinstate three Daily Labour Roll (DLR) employees of the medical college. The medical college had also failed to pay the petitioners (the retrenched employees) the cost of execution amounting to Rs Rs 25,31,375 (more than Rs 29.31 lakh).

With the Civil Judge (senior division), Sambalpur issuing attachment order, the errant principal now endures the ignominy of officiating without the office chamber.

As per the warrant of attachment of movable property ordered by the court, the office chamber of the principal is sealed. Besides all the furniture, computers, Xerox machine, FAX- machine, two official cars of the senior authority of VIMSAR have been attached.

As per the case records, three DRL employees on daily payroll- Sambhunath Sahoo, former attendant, Khirod Kumar Sahoo, former gatekeeper and Rebati Kant Kalet, former sweeper performed their duty at VIMSAR from 2000 to 2017.

However, they were later retrenched without being given the first rights to be recruited as regular contractual employees in the premier health institute of western Odisha. On the other hand, the VIMSAR authorities had recruited outsiders while ignoring the legitimate claims of reengagement in the regular contractual assignment.

Peeved over the VIMSAR authorities’ arbitrary action, the sacked DLRs had moved the Sambalpur district labour court seeking reengagement. Incidentally, the labour court had ruled in favour of the petitioners and had ordered the medical college to reinstate the employees with the service benefit entitled to them in accordance with Odisha civil service code.

The VIMSAR authorities, on the other hand, did not abide by the labour court order, leaving the petitioners in the lurch. Later the retrenched DRLs moved the Civil Judge (senior division), Sambalpur through an execution case praying the implementation of a labour court order.

 The execution case was later transferred from Sambalpur court to a court in neighbouring Subarnapur district as court activities were disrupted then in Sambalpur with lawyers agitating seeking the establishment of a separate branch of Orissa High Court in western Odisha.

The senior division court later accorded its approval to the labour court order and issued the warrant of attachment of movable property and cost of execution worth over Rs 29 lakh for contemptuous disregard to a judicial order. The attachment process was executed yesterday by the court staff, in a stern lesson to the medical college authorities on perpetrating improprieties in reinstating the employees who served for almost two decades.

The VIMSAR authorities had moved the Orissa High Court to secure a stay on the court order. Consequently, the High Court had dismissed VIMSAR’s plea to stay the attachment proceedings.

Jayashree Dora, principal of VIMSAR, confirmed the issuance of a warrant of attachment of movable property by Sambalpur Civil Judge (senior division).

“We are taking official measures for the reinstatement. The senior officials of the government have been apprised of the court action”, she said, refusing to comment further on the issue.