SHILLONG, July 11: Former director of Printing and Stationery department Salgira Marak, who was unceremoniously removed three years ago, officially resumed charge of the department on Monday following an order by the High Court of Meghalaya.
Secretary of Printing and Stationery department Matsiewdor War issued an order on July 6 directing Marak to resume duty following the direction issued by the High Court on June 7.
“It is a big sigh of relief for me personally after a long legal battle of three years. The state government has finally responded to the directive of the High Court to reinstate me as the director,” Marak said.
He further informed that he has also decided not to pursue the contempt of court petition which he had filed on July 6 against the state government for failing to honour the court order of June 7.
“I had gone to file the contempt petition on July 6 but on that very evening I got a copy of the joining order issued by the department asking me to resume charge. I have therefore also submitted the copy of the order to the Court,” Marak said.
Meanwhile, he informed that he had been going to the office every day since the court issued the order on June 7.
“I had to stay outside since my chamber was under lock and key. After waiting for nearly a month, I decided to move a petition of contempt of court since the government had not responded to the court directive to reinstate me as the director,” Marak stated.
It may be recalled that the High Court of Meghalaya on June 7 had quashed two notifications issued by the Meghalaya government for the creation of a post of Officer on Special Duty (technical) in the Printing and Stationery department and had transferred the incumbent director to the new post.
The verdict was passed by the bench of Justice HS Thangkhiew acting on a writ petition filed by Salgira Marak who had challenged the legality of the two notifications issued by the Printing and Stationery department on November 9, 2020, transferring him to the newly-created post.
The court had said the action of the state government for regulating the recruitment and conditions of service through the notification in the absence of an Act was “clearly an encroachment into a judicial pronouncement”.
It may be mentioned that the state government had arbitrarily posted EDR Tariang, Joint Director to officiate as director in-charge of the department on September 8, 2019 after creating the post of OSD Printing and Stationery for the incumbent director Salgira Marak.
