( OT Webdesk) In a landmark decision, the Orissa High Court has ruled in favour of 15 former employees of the State Institute of Educational Technology (SIET), directing the state government to reinstate them after a 12-year legal battle.
SIET, established in 1980 under the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), was granted autonomous status in 1990.
However, in 2013, the Odisha government abruptly shut down the institute, absorbing 63 employees into various government departments while leaving 15 staff members out of employment.
These employees filed a petition on May 7, 2013, arguing their case for reinstatement. After years of hearings, Justice Sashikanta Mishra, delivering his verdict on April 25, 2025, deemed it unjust to deny them the same opportunity that their colleagues received.
The court instructed the government to redeploy them into suitable positions while preserving their service tenure and employment benefits.
The state government has three months to comply with the court’s directive. Legal experts hail this ruling as a significant precedent in employment equity, ensuring fairness in workforce absorption across government bodies.
