The Telangana Government has earmarked ₹60 crore towards fighting contempt of court cases pending against state government bureaucrats in the high court inviting the wrath of senior judges.
According to the new agency IANS, the Telangana high court was surprised by the state government’s decision. Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Vijaysen Reddy passed interim orders on Wednesday, directing the government not to release the said amount.
The issue was brought to the notice of the high court by a lecturer, who in PIL said that the state government had decided to provide financial assistance to bureaucrats for fighting contempt of court cases. The petitioner predominantly referred to the financial allocation made to the chief commissioner of land administration (CCLA), a post held by the state’s chief secretary Somesh Kumar.
Incidentally, Somesh Kumar, in his capacity of chief secretary, had issued the government order dated June 7 setting aside Rs 60 crore to fight contempt cases.
The June 7 order said that the state government had decided to sanction Rs 58,95,63,000 towards contempt cases pending in the high court. According to estimates, there are about 250 contempt cases against state bureaucrats.
Taking cognisance of the government order, the two-judge bench on Wednesday asked how could the state government spend taxpayers like that. It directed relevant authorities to impress upon the court about the treasury norms and if such financial assistance is allowed.
The judges served notices on secretaries of finance and revenue departments, directors of treasury, CCLA and to Somesh Kumar in his personal capacity. The court adjourned the hearing till October 27.
The Telangana government’s decision can be seen as an extension of its policy of sorts of encouraging bureaucrats to disobey courts’ orders, even if it meant inviting contempt cases. This is being done to ensure that the state government’s decisions are implemented at any cost, even if courts rule otherwise.
Recently, the high court in a number of instances has imposed fines on district collectors and has also sentenced bureaucrats to imprisonment for not honouring the court’s orders.
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(With input from news agency language)
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