HIMANSU MOHAN MISHRA Vs. STATE OF ORISSA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present writ petition has been filed with a prayer to quash the impugned letter of the Opposite Party No.1 dtd. 20/1/2024, under Annexure-11, the DO No.1509 dtd. 31/10/2023, under Annexure-6, and also to quash the adverse entries made in the PAR of the petitioner for the year 2021-22 (for the period from 1/10/2021 to 31/3/2022), under Annexure-4. FACTUAL MATRIX OF THE CASE

(2.) A concise overview of the essential facts underlying the present writ application, is as follows; initially, on 29/5/1989 the Petitioner entered into service as a Junior Agriculture Officer at Balisankara under the District Agriculture Officer, Sundergarh. Thereafter, upon being promoted, he joined the post of Assistant Agriculture Officer at the Office of the Soil Chemist, Baripada, on 9/5/2007, followed by a promotion to the post of Assistant Director, Agriculture and Food Production on 29/1/2020, and then to the post of District Agriculture Officer, Pattamundai, which he joined on 4/10/2021. Presently, the Petitioner is continuing in the office of the Opposite Party No.2-the Principal Secretary to Govt., Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment Department, Bhubaneswar, Khurda, as the Joint Director, Agriculture Level-II, Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production, Odisha.

(3.) The heart of the contention involved in the present writ petition relates to the period 2021 to 2022 during which period the Petitioner was functioning as the ADO, Pattamundai. During the said period, i.e. the financial year 2021-2022, more specifically from 1/1/2021 to 31/3/2022 (herein referred to as the 'relevant period'), the Petitioner furnished his Performance Appraisal Report (PAR). In the self-appraisal report attached thereto, a copy of which is produced under Annexure-3 to the present writ petition, the Petitioner has highlighted his achievements in respect of the work assigned to him and has indicated a brief description of duties discharged and tasks undertaken by him during the relevant period of 2021-2022.