HC issues contempt notices to top cops over clearance of constable’s retiral dues

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh high court has issued contempt notices to the inspector general of police (IGP) and superintendent of police (SP) from the CID for violation of the court’s earlier order regarding the clearance of the retiral dues of a head constable in the department.
The high court single bench of judge justice Arvind Kumar Verma has directed the officials to respond promptly.
The petitioner’s lawyers presented their case before the court, stating that the police officers' blatant disregard of the court's orders, such as withholding the recovery amount and failing to pay all other retirement benefits to the petitioner, constitutes a serious contempt of the court's orders.
Petitioner Krishna Prasad Thakur worked as a Head Constable in the CID branch of the Police Headquarters and lived in New Rajendra Nagar in Raipur. During his time in service, the high court had halted the recovery order that was issued against him by the department. The basis for this decision was that a recovery order cannot be given to a government employee due to salary differences in the class III category. Following this reasoning, the recovery order was suspended.
Additionally, the high court instructed to hold back the recovery amount and ensure the payment of all other retirement benefits. But since there was a failure to adhere to the high court's directive, the petitioner, represented by counsels Abhishek Pandey and Durga Meher, submitted a contempt petition before the high court bench.
As the volume of contempt petitions in the High Court continues to rise because of the failure to comply with orders issued by senior IPS officers within the specified timeframe, it is crucial to hold the officers accountable in contempt petitions to guarantee adherence to the court's orders and preserve the high court's valuable and essential time, the lawyers representing the petitioner said.
They further argued that according to Sub-Rule 12 of the Contempt of Court Act, 1971, there is a provision for imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of Rs. 2000 for disobeying court orders.
It is essential to impose penalties on officers in contempt petitions to guarantee adherence to the high court's orders within the specified timeframe and to conserve the valuable and critical time of the high court.
Following the contempt petition hearing, the high court has instructed the IG (CID) and SP (CID) Raipur to promptly respond to the issue, treating it with utmost seriousness.