Uttarakhand HC directs State to maintain status quo on Shailesh Matiyani award for 2018, seeks reply in 4 weeks

The Uttarakhand High court has directed the State Government to maintain the status quo on Shailesh Matiyani award for the year 2018.

A single-judge bench of Justice Manoj K.Tiwari heard the petition filed by a retired teacher from District Almora who had challenged the said award for the year 2018, stating that the State Government has illegally deprived him of it.

In a petition filed by Advocate Harpreet Singh Hora and Advocate Paritosh, it was argued that the petitioner has got the highest marks in the selection round for the year 2018 and the department sat over the file for long period without any reason. Later, the department illegally denied him the award vide office memo dated December 29, 2020.

The State of Uttarakhand stated that he had already retired on May 31, 2020, and hence, it declared the award in favour of the second person on the merit list.

Advocate Hora argued that the applicant was in active service during the whole academic year of 2018. Citing on an old judgment of the Uttarakhand High Court, he further stated that the award should go to the petitioner.

He also argued that a stay order for status quo may be granted for the said award since it is the petitioner who is actually entitled to the award and the Government is acting in an arbitrary manner and thus, the government’s action is illegal.

After hearing the arguments, the Court directed the State not to proceed with it and maintain the status quo on the said award. The Court has asked the State to file its reply within 4 weeks.

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