AP High Court suspends order to fine, imprison babus

Vijayawada: The High Court has stayed the implementation of single judge order sentencing five IAS officers in contempt of court cases. A division bench headed by Chief Justice A.K. Goswami and Justice N. Jayasuriya heard the case on Thursday, issued a stay order on earlier judgment and served notices on respondents.

Earlier, Justice Battu Devanand took a serious view of the officers’ failure to implement his order to provide compensation for land acquisition to one Tallapaka Savitramma hailing from Yerragunta of Venkatachalam Mandal in Nellore district. The judge treated it as contempt of court and imposed a fine on them and sentenced some to jail. This order was challenged by the five IAS officers including retired officer Manmohan Singh, former Nellore collectors Revu Muthyala Raju and A.V. Seshagiri Babu and incumbent collector K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu and finance principal secretary S.S. Rawat.