Cuttack, February 27: The Orissa High Court on Thursday junked a Voluntary Retirement (VRS) petition filed by a Physiology Professor citing larger interest.
The single-judge bench that dealt with the case, directed the Odisha government to amend the Odisha Civil Services (OCS)-Pension Rules, 1992.
The Orissa High Court directed the state government to amend the VRS provisions in the OCS Rules 1992.
Hearing the petition of Dr Snigdha Prava Mishra, a Professor of physiology in a Medical College, Justice SK Panigrahi ruled noted that states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu have laws allowing the rejection of voluntary retirement when it threatens public well-being. He highlighted that the Odisha Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1992, lack such safeguards and currently permit essential public servants to exit their roles without restrictions.
The court also underlined the need for medical professionals in state service outweighs individual requests for retirement in such cases.
According to the petition, Dr. Mishra had initially sought to cancel her transfer order to SRM Medical College and Hospital, Bhawanipatna, and requested a preferable posting at SJMCH, Puri. However, her request was denied by the government. Subsequently, she applied for VRS citing health problems, which was also trashed by the health department citing, shortage of alternatives.
Ultimately, with no way out, Dr Mishra moved the Orissa High Court in this connection.
The Orissa High Court issued directions to Odisha Health & Family Welfare Department to amend the OCS (Pension) Rules, aligning them with other states' frameworks within a three-month time.
