Calcutta High Court's Port Blair bench issued a significant ruling on Thursday, suspending the Chief Secretary of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Keshav Chandra, and imposing a fine of ₹5 lakh on the Union Territory's Lieutenant Governor, Admiral DK Joshi. The court found both high-ranking officials guilty of contempt of court for failing to comply with a previous court order related to the issue between Andaman Sarvajanik Nirman Vibagh Mazdoor Sangh and Admiral DK Joshi, Lieutenant Governor.
The division bench, consisting of Justices Rajasekhar Mantha and Bibhas Ranjan De, expressed strong disapproval of the officials' conduct, stating that they made a "mockery" of the court's contempt proceedings by not even filing any affidavit in response to the allegations. The bench had previously ordered a higher pay for approximately 4,000 Daily Rated Mazdoors (DRMs) in the UT and directed the authorities to release the hiked dearness allowances, which had been pending since 2017.
In response to the court's order, the authorities submitted a purported affidavit of compliance, but the bench noted that it did not address the issues of framing a scheme or the unjust distinction between the DRMs engaged against sanctioned posts. This attempt to challenge and reopen previously decided issues without seeking recourse in a higher forum was seen as "flagrant contempt" of the court.
Due to the officials' conduct, the court decided to suspend Chief Secretary Keshav Chandra, and the next most senior officer in the administration was directed to take over his functions. Admiral DK Joshi was further instructed to deposit ₹5 lakhs from his own funds to the Registrar of the Port Blair Bench of the High Court at Calcutta within seven days. The Lieutenant Governor was ordered to appear via virtual mode, and the Chief Secretary was required to personally appear in court on August 17. Both officials were asked to show cause as to why they should not be committed to prison for their contempt of court.
Advocate Gopala Binnu Kumar represented the Petitioners, while Senior Advocate Vikramjit Banerjee, along with advocates Shatadru Chakraborty and Ramendu Agarwal, represented the authorities in the case.
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TAGS: Calcutta High Court Port Blair bench suspension Chief Secretary Andaman & Nicobar Islands fine ₹5 lakh Lieutenant Governor Admiral DK Joshi contempt of court Daily Rated Mazdoors compliance flagrant contempt virtual mode appearance August 17.
