The Madras High Court Bench here on Friday warned officials in Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department of severe action for refusing to pay Rs.1.36 crore for hiring 88 computers, 42 printers and 44 UPS devices for a socio-economic caste census in the district between 2012 and 2013.
The First Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice S. Manikumar told Collector L. Subramanian, who had been summoned to the court, that all employees from the top-most officer in the department to the one in the lowest cadre would have to face the consequences if the matter was not settled amicably with the private firm within four weeks.
Wondering how the government officials could hire gadgets agreeing to rates quoted by the firm and then turn volte-face, the Chief Justice said: “Just because you are the government, don’t think you have the licence to do it. This is why people hesitate to deal with government departments. All officials concerned must be sacked for the manner in which things have been done in this case.”
The observations were made while hearing a writ appeal filed jointly by the department as well as the Collector whose order refusing to clear the bill for Rs.1.36 crore had been quashed by Justice T.S. Sivagnanam last August. Then, the single judge had held that there was no justification in the Collector’s stand that he would pay only Rs.65.69 lakh towards hiring charges.
“It is absolutely arbitrary and unreasonable” on the part of the Collector to question the rental amount quoted by the petitioner after having taken the computers and other peripherals on rent and used them between April 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013. “The question of refusing to accept the rates does not arise at this distant point of time,” the judge had said.
Not finding any infirmity in this order, the First Bench directed the Collector to first settle within two weeks the amount he was willing to pay and thereafter hold negotiations with respect to the rest of the claim.
