The Orissa High Court on Thursday took a stern view of continued disobedience of its earlier directions and ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against a senior IAS officer heading the state’s Higher Education Department. The court termed the lapse an “aggravated contempt” after repeated assurances of compliance went unfulfilled.
Background of the Case
The contempt petition was filed by Tapan Kumar Pattanaik, alleging that the state government had failed to comply with a High Court order passed on 30 July 2025 in a writ petition. That earlier order had clearly directed the authorities to take a decision on Pattanaik’s representation within eight weeks and communicate the outcome to him.
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The court had also permitted the department to seek additional documents from the petitioner if required, but made it clear that such requests should not be used as an excuse to delay the decision.
Despite this, no final decision was communicated within the prescribed time.
Court’s Observations
Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad, who heard the matter, noted that even after the court granted further time on 12 December 2025, the government failed to honour its own undertaking.
Recording strong displeasure, the bench observed that “till date, there is no compliance in terms of the undertaking,” adding that the conduct amounted to both non-compliance of the court’s order and breach of assurance given to the court.
The judge categorised the situation as a serious case of aggravated contempt, indicating that the court could not allow its authority to be undermined through inaction.
Decision of the Court
In view of the continued defiance, the High Court directed that an arrest warrant be issued against the sole contemnor, Arvind Agrawal, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary to the Government of Odisha, Higher Education Department.
The court ordered that the officer be produced before it on 22 January 2026. However, the bench clarified that no coercive action would be taken if compliance with the original order is reported before that date.
The court further directed that a web copy of the order be acted upon immediately by all concerned authorities.
Case Title: Tapan Kumar Pattanaik v. Arvind Agrawal, IAS
Case Number: CONTC No. 5546 of 2025
Date of Order: 16 January 2026
