Ashok Kumar Seal and 13 Ors v. The State of Assam and 3 Ors

PageoNo.#o1/6 GAHC010169632023 ooooooo ooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooTHEoGAUHATIoHIGHoCOURTo (HIGHoCOURToOFoASSAM,oNAGALAND,oMIZORAMoANDoARUNACHALoPRADESH)o CaseoNo.o:oWP(C)/4433/2023o ASHOKoKUMARoSEALoANDo13oORSo S/O-oLT.oRAMONIoMOHANoSEAL,oRETD.oH/MoOFoR.K.BASUoBENGLAo BIDYAPITHo(HIGH),oVILLAGEoANDoP.O.oKHALILPUR,oDIST.-oDHUBRI,o (ASSAM),oPIN-o783325 2:oNURoISLAMoSHEIKH oS/O-oLT.oHAJIoMD.oNASERoALIoMUNCHI oRETD.oH/MoOFoJOGIRMAHALoHIGHoSCHOOL oVILL-oJOGIRoMOHAL oP.O.oBORKANDA oDIST.-oDHUBRI o(ASSAM) oPIN-o783348 3:oABDULoBATEN oS/O-oLT.oABDULoHAMID oRETD.oH/MoOFoBHASSANICHARoHIGHoSCHOOL oVILL-oROOPNAGARoPT-III oP.O.oJHAGRARPAR 4:oMONBHOLAoROY oS/O-oLT.oAYDHANoROY oRETD.oH/Mo(I/C)oOFoSAHEBGANJoHIGHoSCHOOL oVILLAGE-oKISMAToHASDAHAoPT-III oP.O.oKISMAToHASDAHA oDIST.-oDHUBRI o(ASSAM) oPIN-o783334 5:oBISNUoKUMARoROY oS/O-oLT.oHARISHoCHANDRAoROY oRETD.oH/MoOFoRAIJHORAoHIGHoSCHOOL PageoNo.#o2/6 oVILLAGEoANDoP.O.oBAHALoPUR oPIN-o783371 6:oPIJUSHoKANTIoDUTTA oS/O-oLT.oNANIoGOPAoDUTTA oRETD.oH/MoOFoR.K.oBASUoBANGLAoBIDYAPITHo(HIGH)oVILLAGE-o AMBAGAN oP.O.oKHALILPUR 7:oLAKSMIoRANIoSAHA oW/O-oLT.oSUBALoCHANDRAoSAHA oRETD.oH/MoOFoNABAoBHARAToPATSALAoHIGHoSCHOOL oGOLAKGANJ oVILL-oWARDoNO.9 oBOCoMORE oDHUBRI oP.O.oANDoDIST.-oDHUBRIo(ASSAM) oPIN-o783301 8:oMD.oABDULoHAMIDoMOLLAH oS/O-oLT.oTAFIZZUDDINoMOLLAH oRETD.oSUPTD.oOFoPANBARIoRANGAMATIoSR.oMADRASSAo(CONVERTEDo TOoPANBARIoRANGAMATIoHIGHoSCHOOL) oVILL-oALOMGANJoPT-VII oP.O.oRANIGANJ oP.S.oGAURIPUR oPIN-o783331 9:oABDULoQUDDUS oS/O-oLT.oMOHIRoUDDINoMUNSHI oRETD.oSUPDT.oOFoFAKHRULoULUMoARABICoCOLLEGEo(CONVERTEDoTOo FAKHRULoULUMoHIGHoSCHOOL) oVILL-oSONAKHULI oP.O.oANDoP.S.oAGOMANI oPIN-o783335 10:oMD.oNURoHUSSAIN oS/O-oLT.oSONTESHoALI oRETD.oSUPDT.oOFoRAHMATGANJoSR.oMADRASSAo(CONVERTEDoTOo RAHMATGANJoSR.oHIGHoSCHOOL) oVILL-oTOKRERCHARA oP.O.oCHAGOLIA oP.S.oGOLAKGANJ PageoNo.#o3/6 oDIST.-oDHUBRI o(ASSAM) oPIN-o783335 11:oMD.oABDULoGONI oS/O-oLT.oGANJERoALI oRETD.oSUPDT.oOFoGHOGARPARoSENIORoMADRASSAo(CONVERTEDoTOo GHOGARPARoHIGHoSCHOOL) oVILL-oCHAGOLIAoPT-II oP.O.oCHAGOLIA oP.S.oGOLAKGANJ oPIN-o783335 12:oMD.oNASIRoUDDINoAHMED oS/O-oLT.oSABDERoALIoAHMED oRETD.oSUPDT.oOFoHOWRARPARoSENIORoMADRASSAo(CONVERTEDoTOo HOWRARPARoHIGHoSCHOOL) oVILL-oBOROBILAoPT-I oP.O.oKHALILPUR oP.S.oANDoDIST.-oDHUBRI o(ASSAM) 13:oMD.oSHAMSUDDINoMIAH oS/O-oLT.oFAZARoALI oRETD.oSUPDT.oOFoGHOGARPARoSENIORoMADRASSAo(CONVERTEDoTOo GHOGARPARoHIGHoSCHOOL) oVILL-oSAGOLIAoPT-I oP.O.oSAGOLIA oP.S.oGOLAKGANJ oDIST.-oDHUBRI o(ASSAM) oPIN-o783335 14:oSURESHoCH.oROY oS/O-oLT.oPARESHoCH.oROY oRETD.oH/MoOFoBOTERHAToSCHOOL oVILLAGEoANDoP.O.oLOHAJANI oDIST.-oDHUBRI o(ASSAM) oPIN-o78333o VERSUSo THEoSTATEoOFoASSAMoANDo3oORSo REPRESENTEDoBYoTHEoCOMMISSIONERoANDoSECRETARYoTOoTHEo GOVERNMENToOFoASSAM,oEDUCATIONo(ELEMENTARY)oDEPARTMENT,o Page No.# 4/6 DISPUR, GUWAHATI-6 2:THE COMMISSIONER AND SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ASSAM FINANCE (ESTT.-A) DEPARTMENT ASSAM DISPUR GUWAHATI-6 3:THE DIRECTOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSAM KAHILIPARA GUWAHATI-19 4:THE INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS P.O. AND DIST.- DHUBRI ASSAM PIN-78330 Advocate for the Petitioner : MR. P DAIMARY Advocate for the Respondent : SC, FINANCE

BEFORE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE MANASH RANJAN PATHAK

23/08/2023 Heard Mr. R Karim, learned counsel for the petitioners and Mr. P N Sarma, learned Standing counsel, Department of School Education for the respondent Nos. 1, 3 & 4. Also heard Mr. B Gogoi, learned Standing counsel, Finance Department for the respondent No. 2.

¶2Petitioner No. 1, Ashok Kumar Seal, Headmaster of R.K. Basu Bengla Bidyapith, retired from service on 30.04.2021, petitioner No. 2, Nur Islam Sheikh, Headmaster of Jogirmahal High School, retired from service on 31.03.2021, petitioner No. 3, Abdul Baten, Headmaster of Bhassanichar High School, retired from service on 29.02.2020, petitioner No. 4, Monbhola Roy, Headmaster in-charge of Sahebganj High School, retired from service on 31.01.2020, petitioner No. 5, Bisnu Kumar Roy, Head Teacher of Raijhora High School, retired from service on 28.02.2019, petitioner No. 6, Pijush Kanti Dutta, Headmaster of R.K. Basu Bangla Bidyapith (High), retired from service on 31.12.2019, Page No.# 5/6 petitioner No. 7, Laksmi Rani Saha, Headmaster of Naba Bharat Patsala High School, Golakganj, retired from service on 30.11.2017, petitioner No. 8, Md. Abdul Hamid Mollah, Superintendent of Panbari Rangamati Senior Madrassa, retired from service on 31.01.2016, petitioner No. 9, Abdul Quddus, Superintendent of Fakhrul Ulum Arabic College, retired from service on 31.01.2015, petitioner No. 10, Md. Nur Hussain, Superintendent of Rahmatganj Senior Madrassa, retired from service on

31.12.2013, petitioner No. 11, Md. Abdul Goni, Superintendent of Ghograrpar Senior Madrassa, retired from service on 31.12.2019, petitioner No. 12, Md. Nasir Uddin Ahmed, Superintendent of Howrarpar Senior Madrassa, retired from service on 31.01.2012, petitioner No. 13, Md. Shamsuddin Miah, Superintendent of Ghograrpar Senior Madrassa, retired from service on 31.03.2009 and petitioner No. 14, Suresh Ch. Roy, Headmaster of Boterhat High School, retired from service on 31.12.2009. All the petitioners are from the District of Dhubri.

¶3It is submitted that all the teachers and Superintendents, named above served in the vacation Department, i.e. Education Department of the State under the Directorate of Secondary Education, Assam till their retirement from service on attaining the age of superannuation.

¶4However, it is alleged that after their retirement from service, the respondents paid to them their Leave Encashment Benefit for specific numbers of days, but did not release the cash equivalent of their earned leaves to the extent of 300 days as entitled by them, similar to that of Government employees of non-vacation Departments. Hence, this writ petition by the petitioners praying for necessary direction to the respondents herein.

¶5This Court by its Judgment & Order dated 2nd June, 2011, passed in the case of Khagendra Nath Deka & Others -Vs-State of Assam & Others [WP(C) No. 9851 of 2003] reported in 2011 (5) GLT 9 have held that those employees who belonged to vacation Department are also equally entitled to leave encashment to the extent of 300 days and cannot be limited to 80 days.

¶6Pursuant to the said Judgment and Order dated 02.06.2011, the State Government in the Finance (ESTT-A) Department vide No. FEG.4/2000/153 dated 03.03.2012 issued an Office Memorandum clarifying that the benefit of unutilized leave encashment at the credit on the date of retirement on superannuation will be admissible to the employees of the vacation Department to the extent of permissible days, as in force, at the relevant period, for the employees of the non-vacation Department.

¶7Learned counsels appearing for both the parties have accepted that the present matter is covered by the decision of this Court dated 02.06.2011 passed in WP(C) No.9851/2003 noted above, Page No.# 6/6 i.e., Khagendra Nath Deka (supra) and the consequential Office Memorandum dated 03.03.2012 of the Finance Department of the State. Petitioners have also placed that following the said Judgment & Order dated 02.06.2011 passed in WP(C) No. 9851/2003, this Court has also passed similar orders on

08.08.2016 in W.P.(C) No. 4728/2014 and 18.02.2019 in W.P.(C) No. 1733/2019.

¶8After hearing the learned counsels for the parties and considering the entire aspect of the matter, this writ petition is disposed of directing the petitioners to file individual applications before the authority concerned, i.e., the Inspector of Schools, Dhubri respondent No. 4 on or before

20.09.2023 along with the certified copy of this order, all the relevant documents including the copy of this writ petition and the Annexures appended thereto, obtaining necessary acknowledgment from the said authority in that regard.

¶9In the event of filing such applications by the petitioners, within the said specified time, as directed above, the Inspector of Schools, Dhubri respondent No. 4 shall release the cash equivalent of their earned leaves to the petitioners as per their entitlement in terms of the Judgment & Order dated

02.06.2011 passed in WP(C) No. 9851/2003 and the Office Memorandum No. FEG.4/2000/153 dated

03.03.2012 of the Finance (ESTT-A) Department of the State, to the extent of 300 days, less the cash equivalents already paid to them, after making necessary enquiry, within a period of three months from the date of receipt of the applications to be submitted by the petitioners before the said authority along with the certified copy of this order.

¶10With the aforesaid observation and direction, this writ petition stands disposed of.

JUDGE Comparing Assistant