The Bombay High Court sentenced five high-ranking state government officers to one month of civil imprisonment for contempt of its orders, after they failed to comply with the court's directives to allot land to project-affected persons.
The officers were Aseem Gupta (former Principal Secretary of Relief and Rehabilitation Department), Bijaysinh Deshmukh (Pune Additional Collector), Uttam Patil (Deputy Collector in Rehabilitation Department), Sachin Kale (Revenue Officer), and Praveen Salunkhe (Land Acquisition Department).
The court had issued a show cause notice to the officers on June 28, after they failed to file affidavits of compliance with its earlier orders. The officers were also asked to appear in court on August 30 and September 1, but only four of them turned up.
The court was angered by the officers' behavior and held them in contempt. It observed that the officers had no regard for the rule of law and the constitution, and that they were not fit to hold public office.
However, the court stayed its order sentencing the officers to civil imprisonment for a week, after their lawyers argued that they had not been properly served with the show cause notice. The court also asked the officers to file their replies to the show cause notice by September 6.
The matter will be heard again on September 6, when the officers are required to remain present before the court.
TAGS: Bombay High Court state government officers contempt of court civil imprisonment project-affected persons show cause notice affidavits of compliance court's directives land allotment rule of law constitution public office judicial contempt government accountability rule of law human rights social justice.
