The Rajasthan High Court set aside the contempt notice against IAS officer Bhawani Singh Detha for his unconditional apology.
During the hearing, the Justice Umashankar Vyas, while making observations, told Bhavani Singh Detha, “you and we are sitting for the service of the people”.
The Justice said, “I have come here from a middle class family, so I know how much difficulty a common man has to face. Even after the court order, when you do not comply with it. The party has to go around the lawyers to file a contempt petition again.
Think of yourself in the place of the common man. In the interest of the public, you should comply with the court order in time”.
Bhawani Singh Detha said, “I unconditionally apologise to the court. At the same time, from now on, the court's orders will be followed in time, we assure you for this”.
Detha has as many as 46 contempt petitions pending against him.
The High Court had summoned IAS Bhawani Singh Detha, IAS Shuchi Tyagi and the then joint director of College Education RC Meena in the court after the court's order was not complied with. Detha and Tyagi had served as commissioner College Education during that period.
While Detha and Meena appeared before the court, Shuchi Tyagi applied for exemption from appearance.
The court had said that the court orders were complied with within 18 days after the court took strict stance in this matter.
“But it could have been carried out without the intervention of the court,” the court said.
What is the case?
The petitioner's lawyer Ajay Chaudhary said that the case is related to Dr. DC Dudy, who is working as a lecturer in Government College Sambhar Lake. He was a lecturer in Haryana before his appointment in Rajasthan in 1998.
However, the department did not add his previous service with Haryana government under the Career Advancement Scheme. This resulted in a delay of one and a half years in getting the higher salary scale. He then filed a petition in the High Court. While hearing, the single bench of the High Court on May 5, 2022, decided in favour of Dudy.
State govt had moved Supreme Court
The state government then appealed to the division bench regarding the judgement. The bench refused to stay the single bench's order, so the government moved the Supreme Court. But the Supreme Court had also rejected the government's petition on 27 September 2023. despite that, the department did not comply with the order.
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