Stop 3 months' salaries of IAS officers: Rajasthan HC in contempt case

Jodhpur, Mar 12 (PTI) The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to withhold the salaries of three bureaucrats in a contempt case over a three-and-a-half year delay in complying with its orders on the disbursal of money and arrears to public employees.

The Jodhpur bench of the high court also summoned the principal secretary of the personnel department to appear in person on March 25.

Justice Dinesh Mehta was hearing the contempt petition filed by one Ramesh Audichya and eight other ministerial staff members from the Collector and Divisional Commissioner office in Udaipur.

Advocate Yashpal Khileree, representing the petitioners, said his clients were made permanent from their initial appointments on August 13, 1987 and granted the first and second selection grade scales.

However, when denied the third selection grade scale, they moved the high court.

A high court single judge on September 23, 2021 ordered for the third selection grade scale, payable after 27 years, to be calculated from August 12, 2014, aside from all cash benefits, to be disbursed within three months of its decision.

The high court also gave clear instructions to pay the arrears of the increased salary and consequential benefits by March 31, 2022.

But the petitioners claimed non-compliance and filed a contempt petition demanding strict punishment against the contemnors.

The government counsel, representing the contemnors, said the compliance was not done owing to a pending special appeal.

Advocate Khileree, however, argued the special appeal was dismissed on August 2, 2023, and there was neither a stay nor suspension of the order of the single judge in the appeal.

"Therefore, the contemnors were merely attempting to mislead the court, which constitutes clear contempt of court," he argued.

Taking into account the seriousness of the matter and the conduct of the contemnors, the court directed the state government not to disburse salaries of three IAS officers -- then personnel department secretary Hemant Gera, then divisional commissioner of Udaipur Rajendra Kumar Bhatt and then district collector of Udaipur Tarachand Meena -- without its permission. PTI COR AMK