Chennai: The Madras high court has warned that government officials would be sent to prison if they were found guilty of disobeying the court orders. The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, before which a contempt petition filed by All India Teachers Front, represented by its general secretary N. Umathanu came up for hearing, said, “The petitioner fighting for the rights for the last 11 years.
In 2008, this court passed an order directing the then special officer and now the DRO/managing director of Salem Co-operative Sugar Mills Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Mohanur, Namakkal district, to pay the government scales and other benefits to the teaching and non teaching staff as per the proceedings of directorate of matriculation schools dated February 12, 2003. This was not implemented till 2014”.
How many contempt petitions are before this court? The officials have scant respect. We will send them to jail. Tell us which is nearest jail. All is not well. You don’t want to implement the orders,” the Bench said. In the contempt petition, the Namakkal-based cooperative school teachers sought action against the then special officer of Salem Cooperative Sugar Mills Matriculation Higher Secondary School for failure to implement the court order on pay for co-operative school staff on a with their counterparts in other schools.
The Bench said the petitioner was before the court fighting for the rights since 2004. Even after the high court upholding the rights and the dismissal of school’s appeal by the Supreme Court, authorities had not implemented the order. The Bench then posted the matters to July 14, 2015.
Soon after hearing this petition, another contempt case with regard to Forest Department came up for hearing. The Chief justice issued notice to the authorities concerned questioning them why they should not be proceeded against for wilful disobedience of the orders of the court and be punished as per law.
