Guwahati: The Finance Department has been directed by the Gauhati High Court to issue consequential orders so that tax officials Priyanka Deka and Jayanta Doley can resume their services within a period of one week, in pursuance of the directions passed by the court though an order dated December 6, 2024.
It was observed by Justice N. Unni Krishnan Nair that the High Court had impugned orders passed on December 6, 2024, which also included the orders stating the suspension of Priyanka Deka and Jayanta Doley, dated November 30, 2023.
In a recent hearing, the counsel for petitioners Priyanka Deka and Jayanta Doley argued that despite the High Court’s stay on their suspension order dated November 30, 2023, issued on December 6, 2024, the petitioners have not been allowed to resume their services.
The Standing Counsel for the Finance Department stated that since the court's order did not explicitly direct authorities to permit the petitioners to resume, they were unable to reinstate them.
Justice Nair rejected this argument, emphasizing that the stay on the suspension order naturally implied the petitioners' continued service. The Finance Department was directed to issue orders allowing the petitioners to resume work, with their place of posting to be decided by departmental authorities.
The petitioners, appointed as tax officials through a rigorous selection process by the APSC, were suspended following allegations of irregularities in their recruitment. A one-man inquiry commission had earlier detected anomalies, prompting the issuance of a show cause notice on November 30, 2023.
The court granted the Finance Department three weeks to file an affidavit and listed the matter for February 19, 2025. It directed the authorities to issue consequential orders within a week and stated that the interim stay order would remain effective until further notice.
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