Kerala - Kochi   

Exemption for official

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dispensed with the personal appearance of Neela Gangadharan, Additional Chief Secretary to the Cooperative Department, in a contempt of court case.

Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishan passed the order on a petition filed by the Additional Chief Secretary. In her petition she “deeply regrets and sincerely apologises” for the lapses committed by the office of the Under Secretary.

The judge had earlier directed her and an Under Secretary Hrishikesan Nair to appear in person on October 14. The court had also directed them to show cause why action under the Contempt of Court Act should not be taken against them and why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against them.

The court had passed the directives on a petition filed by P.K. Thomas, secretary in charge of the Anapanthy Service Cooperative Bank, Kannur. He was refused promotion to the post of secretary on the ground that he did not have the required qualification. In fact, his application seeking to exempt him from the requirement was not considered by the State government.

The judge had observed that the order showed that the directives of the High Court were disobeyed. It was a clear case of “administrative perversity, arbitrariness and nepotism,” the judge had observed.

The Additional Chief Secretary said in her petition pointed out that the government had now decided to withdraw the order and to consider the application afresh.

A Bench comprising Justice P.R. Raman and Justice T.R. Ramachandran Nair on Tuesday reserved its order on a report filed by the Ombudsman for Travancore and Cochin Devaswom Boards regarding the selection of Melsanthis of Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples.

The court adjourned to October 13 the hearing on a writ petition seeking a direction to the Vice-Chancellor of the Calicut University to order an investigation into the incident in which mass failure of students of Government Law College, Thrissur, was reported. The petition was filed by Jeevan Mathew Manayani of Kochi.

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