The bench cautioned the shopkeepers of sealing their shops and posted the case for hearing after three weeks.
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday issued suo motu contempt notices to 106 shopkeepers of Siddiambar Bazaar of the city for violating an assurance given to the court earlier on removal of illegal encroachments from footpaths in front of their shops.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A. Shankar Narayana, while dealing with a petition by Laxminivas Agarwal, issued contempt notices asking the shopkeepers to explain why action should not be initiated against them for wilfully going back on the assurance given to the court.
The shopkeepers had submitted an affidavit promising removal of encroachments following an order of the bench on November 22, 2016 to seal 106 shops as they failed to honour their assurance.
When the petition came up for hearing on Tuesday, the petitioner brought to the notice of the court the shopkeepers, instead of removing the encroachments, were installing permanent structures.
Reacting to the submission, the bench expressed anger and said, “We are aware of the inconvenience caused to the people when these shopkeepers display their articles by occupying footpaths.”
The bench said “They are not even caring about the courts. They will be set right only when stringent action is initiated against them.”
The bench cautioned the shopkeepers of sealing their shops and posted the case for hearing after three weeks.
