Bureaucrats warned of stringent action if court orders defied

The High Court at Hyderabad sent out a clear warning to bureaucrats that they would be mistaken if they think they can get away with anything with the support of public representatives.

Wilful disobedience of court orders and misrepresentation of facts to the court will not be tolerated, warned a vacation bench comprising Justice Challa Kodandaram and Justice N. Balayogi on Thursday.

The bench was hearing a writ appeal moved by the State of Andhra Pradesh against the order of a single judge sentencing the Guntur Municipal Corporation Commissioner S Nagalakshmi in a contempt case to one month imprisonment and payment of penalty of Rs 2,000.

The bench suspended the one month jail term awarded to her while insisting on payment of Rs 2,000 penalty imposed on the Commissioner.

Nagalakshmi had incurred the wrath of a single judge in the case of a Guntur doctor’s illegal construction. Although there was a restraint order from the court, she allowed the doctor to raise a few more floors unlawfully and she filed false affidavit in the court.

When contempt was moved, the judge awarded one month jail to Nagalakshmi and two months jail to the errant doctor.

Andhra Pradesh Special Government Pleader Krishna Prakash appealed to the bench to suspend both the jail term and the penalty to which the bench declined and in fact said that they can book the Commissioner on the charges of perjury because she misled the court.