Madras High Court grants time to official subject to deposit of costs

Chennai: The Madras high court has granted three more weeks to Kannagi Packianathan, secretary of Adi Dravidar and tribal welfare department, to implement its earlier order, subject to deposit of Rs 15,000 as costs. A division bench comprising Justices Satish K. Agnihotri and M. M. Sundresh said the official is taking time at her sweet will, without caring for the time schedule fixed by this court.

Passing orders on a petition filed by S. Karuppiah, founder of Central and state government SC and ST Employees Federation in Perunkulathur, the bench had on July 18, 2014 directed the high level committee constituted as per a G.O dated January 8, 2012 to finalize the programme and arrive at the shortfall vacancies for SCs and STs. Thereafter, the committee will have to send the report to the government for issuing appropriate orders. The entire exercise will have to be done by the committee as well as the other respondents including the home secretary, within six months, the bench had added.

As there was no compliance, the Federation filed the present contempt petition in July 2015. On several occasions, when the case came up for hearing, the official sought time for compliance and accordingly, the bench extended the time limit. When the case came up for hearing on March 18 last, the Special government pleader again sought three more weeks.

The bench said, “We are inclined to grant further time to report compliance of the order, subject to deposit of Rs 15,000 to the Tamil Nadu Mediation and Conciliation Centre, High Court, as costs, recoverable from the second respondent (Kannagi Packianathan)”.