Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday, January 28, ruled that government officials cannot escape responsibility for implementing court orders by claiming they were transferred after such orders were passed.
Taking serious note of the failure to pay compensation to a 74-year-old woman whose land was acquired 15 years ago for the Mid Manair project, the court directed former Revenue Secretary Naveen Mittal and former Sircilla Collector Sandeep Kumar Jha to appear in person on March 24.
The case was heard by Justice NV Shravan Kumar, who also ordered that the pending compensation be paid within eight weeks.
Petitioner B Ramavva had earlier approached the Telangana High Court over the non-payment of compensation for land submerged under the Mid Manair project.
During a hearing on August 14, 2024, government officials assured the court that the compensation would be released within three months. Based on this undertaking, the court had closed the petition.
As the assurance was not honoured, Ramavva filed a contempt petition. Expressing displeasure over the continued delay, the court questioned why officials failed to implement their promise.
Justice Shravan Kumar also took exception to the absence of several officials, including the CCLA and the district collector.
While the court allowed exemption requests filed by the CCLA Lokesh Kumar and Collector Garima Agarwal, it made it clear that Naveen Mittal and Sandeep Kumar Jha must personally appear at the next hearing.
The matter was adjourned, with the court reiterating that administrative transfers cannot be used as a shield against compliance with judicial orders.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by P N Sree Harsha | 
