TV
The Orissa High Court directed the state government to reconsider the promotion of retired Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer Sanjita Das to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). In its order, the court set aside an earlier judgment that had rejected her plea, ruling that she is entitled to fair consideration for promotion despite her retirement in May 2025.
According to the case details, Das, a 1987-batch OAS officer, was denied promotion to the IAS cadre in 2020 due to a disciplinary penalty that was officially recorded that same year.
The penalty was a minor one involving the withholding of a single increment and was originally issued in July 2011 for alleged irregular appointments during her service as Additional Executive Officer at the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) from 1995 to 2000.
Though the penalty order was issued in 2011, it was not entered into her service record until November 2020. By then, Das had already served in various senior positions, including as Administrative Officer at SCB Medical College and Hospital, and had received subsequent promotions.
High Court: Delay Was Administrative, Not Officer’s Fault
In 2021, Das approached the High Court, arguing that the delay in implementing the punishment was not her fault and had unfairly impacted her promotion. However, her petition was dismissed by a single-judge bench on June 25, 2024, which held her responsible for ensuring the timely execution of the disciplinary action. A review petition also failed.
On June 19, 2025, a division bench led by Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman reversed that decision. The court concluded that the delay was entirely administrative and could not be held against the officer.
ALSO READ: Orissa High Court slams CMC over manual drain cleaning, seeks mechanisation plan by July 31
It ruled that the penalty should be treated as implemented on the original date in 2011, and that the delayed entry in 2020 must not affect her promotion eligibility.
Fresh Review and Benefits Ordered
The division bench directed the state authorities to reconsider Das’s promotion to the IAS cadre within three months from the date of judgment. If found eligible, she must be granted all consequential benefits, including those tied to her service and rank, even though she has already retired.
