Bhubaneswar: Failure to file annual property statements online within the stipulated deadline cannot come in the way of school teachers being considered for promotion, the Orissa High Court has held, directing the state to accept their returns manually.
The HC asked the state government to accept manually the annual property statements of school teachers who failed to file them online through the HRMS portal within the stipulated period, paving the way for consideration of their promotion.
A bench of the HC issued the direction while disposing of a writ petition filed by teachers seeking promotion from Level-V (B) Category-II to Level-IV Graduate Teacher posts in upper primary schools. The petitioners contended that they fulfilled the eligibility criteria under the Odisha Elementary (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service of Teachers and Officers) Rules, 1997, including the requisite educational qualifications and two years of continuous service in Level-V (B) posts. Their names also figured in the final gradation list. Their promotion, however, was affected by their failure to submit annual property statements online through HRMS between January 1 and 31, 2026.
The petitioners sought permission to submit the returns manually, pointing out that the Odisha Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1959, as amended in July 2026, provide for disciplinary action for failure to file property statements within the prescribed period. The HC observed that while non-filing could affect eligibility for promotion, the Conduct Rules specifically contemplate disciplinary action for such default. Holding that the petitioners otherwise met the eligibility requirements, the HC disposed of the petition and directed the authorities to receive their property statements manually without objection and consider them eligible for promotion.
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