Observing that the government’s circular for effective and timely implementation of court’s orders has remained only on paper, the High Court of Karnataka imposed a cost of ₹3 lakh on the government officials for not implementing the order for eight years and compelling a 71-year-old woman to approach the court again.
A Division Bbench comprising Justice B. Veerappa and Justice K.S. Hemalekha issued the direction while disposing of a contempt of court petition filed in 2018 by Parvathamma, a resident of Kurahatti village in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district.
A single judge on July 24, 2014, had directed the authorities to conduct survey, phodi, and durasthi work of petitioner’s land within nine months.
However, the Bench noted that the direction was not implemented more than three years even after Ms. Parvathamma knocked the doors of the court again in September 2018 by filling the present contempt petition. The survey works were completed only by February 10, 2022, the court noted.
The Bench also pointed out that even though the Chief Secretary, on the direction of the court in another contempt of court case, had in January this year issued guidelines for the officials to implement court orders after.
However, this guidelines has remained only on paper as the higher authorities failed to initiate disciplinary action, as per the guidelines, against the tahsildars for not implementing the court order even after initiation of the present contempt petition.
The Bench directed the Deputy Commissioner, Mandya district, to collect the cost of ₹3 lakh proportionately from the tahsildars, who served in Pandavapura taluk between July 24, 2014, and February 10, 2022, for their failure to implement the order, and enter the particulars of imposition of cost in their service records.
The cost should be paid to the petitioner within one month failing which the DC will have to face serious action, the Bench made it clear.
