Hyderabad: Lawyers say that to get government officials to take court orders seriously and implement them, the fine should be increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1 lakh, and must be paid from the pocket of the official found guilty of contempt.
Mr V. Ramakrishna Reddy, advocate of the High Court, explained that the Contempt of Courts Act stipulates that the court may punish the contemnor with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to Rs 2,000, or with both, provided that the accused may be discharged or the punishment awarded may be remitted on apology being made to the satisfaction of the court.
It is his opinion that the judge should not show any leniency towards officials who deliberately ignore the court’s orders, and if judges don’t want to send the contemnors to jail, they must at least impose heavy penalties on them.
Mr Ramakrishna Reddy felt that the punishment faced by the officers concerned in contempt cases should be entered in their service records so that in case of repeated disobedience, the government or for that matter the courts, can order for departmental action against them.
Mr Butchi Babu, who practises in the High Court, recalled that earlier, the state government could not authorise any of its law officers to appear and defend government officials facing contempt proceedings.
But after the Supreme Court verdict in the case of the Commissioner, Agra vs Rohtas Singh and others, state governments are authorising their legal officers to defend the contemnors and is also bearing all the expenses, including fine in some cases.
