Hyderabad High Court convicts Andhra Pradesh power chief for contempt

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday sentenced the Chief General Manager (HRD) of the AP Southern Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (APSPDCL) and the superintendent engineer of the Kadapa Operation Circle to one-month imprisonment in a case of contempt.

Justice P. Naveen Rao allowed the contempt petition filed by Shankraiah and five others working as security guards at APSPDCL. He directed the contemnors to pay Rs 2,000 each as a fine, and an additional Rs 20,000 to the petitioners as costs.

The petitioners had previously approached the court seeking regularisation of their services, and the court had directed APSPDCL to consider their cases for absorption as security guards as expeditiously as possible, preferably within a period of two months from the date of receipt of the order. The petitioners told the court that though the order had been passed in June 2017, the authorities had not considered their case. They submitted that though the APSPDCL had approached a division bench, the order had not been stayed.

While holding that the respondent authorities had wilfully disobeyed the order, the judge awarded the conviction. He also stayed the operation of the conviction order for four weeks to enable the contemnors to appeal against it.