Telangana IAS officer’s Japan trip amid HC order draws flak

Hyderabad: A senior Telangana IAS officer’s overseas tour, undertaken despite standing directions from the Telangana High Court to appear in person, nearly landed him in custody this week, with the court openly wondering what the state government would have done had he been arrested at the airport.

According to a Times of India report, the remark came from Justice NV Shravan Kumar on Monday, September 7, as he heard a contempt case against two Principal Secretaries, Sandeep Kumar Sultania (Finance) and Vikas Raj (Roads and Buildings), both of whom had bailable warrants pending against them for skipping earlier hearings.

The judge’s sharpest words were reserved for Vikas Raj, who had travelled to Japan on an official tour while a personal appearance order against him remained in force. Justice Shravan Kumar said the judiciary could not keep being generous towards officers who treated court directives so lightly, and that non-compliance, followed by routine requests for exemption, had turned into a “casual affair” within the bureaucracy.

At the heart of the case is an April 24, 2025 order directing authorities to release land acquisition compensation to petitioners from Jogulamba Gadwal district. Despite that order, and several adjournments since, the state had failed to pay even half the amount due, prompting the contempt plea.

When counsel for the two officers tried to submit a counter-affidavit along with applications seeking to recall the earlier directions and exempt the officers from appearing in person, citing their engagement with the ongoing Legislative Assembly session, the court refused to entertain the request. Justice Shravan Kumar pointed out that the government’s primary obligation was to compensate people whose land had been taken, not to seek repeated exemptions.

The state’s defence, that the compensation would be cleared on a “priority basis” once budget constraints eased, did not go down well with the bench either. The judge questioned the government’s priorities and reminded officials that meeting statutory obligations was not a favour done to the court or the public.

By evening, the two officers filed affidavits complying with the payment order and tendering an apology to the court. Justice Shravan Kumar, on being informed that the compensation had finally been deposited, closed the contempt proceedings.

The case adds to a string of contempt actions against senior Telangana IAS officers this year over delayed land compensation payments, with courts repeatedly stressing that no official is above compliance with judicial orders.