The Orissa High Court has directed the state government to amend the voluntary retirement provisions in the Odisha Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1992, within three months. This directive came while dismissing the voluntary retirement application of Dr. Snigdha Prava Mishra, a professor of physiology, citing “larger public interest.”
Dr. Mishra sought voluntary retirement after her request to cancel a transfer order to SRM Medical College and Hospital, Bhawanipatna, was denied. She cited health issues, including progressive vision loss and cardiac problems, as reasons for her application. However, the Health and Family Welfare Department rejected her VRS application on September 17, 2024, due to a critical shortage of faculty in government medical colleges.
Justice S.K. Panigrahi noted that while states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu have provisions allowing the rejection of voluntary retirement applications when public well-being is at stake, the Odisha Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1992, lack such safeguards. He emphasized that the need for medical professionals in state service outweighs individual requests for retirement in such cases.
The court ordered the concerned department to amend the OCS (Pension) Rules to include provisions that allow the rejection of voluntary retirement applications in situations where public interest is at risk. This amendment is to be completed within three months from the date of the judgment, issued on February 14 and released on February 24.
