Madras High Court: Sentence Suspended Of IAS Officer And Others In Contempt Case

The Madras High Court in the case Muthupalanichamy and another v Gnana Pragasam and others observed and has suspended the order of imprisonment against the IAS officer Pradeep Yadav and two others in the case of contempt for the failure to implement court orders while he was holding the post of the Principal Secretary to the School Education Department.
The Division bench comprising of Justice SS Sundar and Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy of the Madurai bench in the case observed and has suspended the sentence while hearing an appeal which is preferred against the order of the single judge.
The Single Judge in the case observed and has ordered sentences the contemners to two weeks imprisonment after ruling that the authorities had failed to comply with the order directing them to regularise the services of an employee.
It has also been ordered by the single judge that the authorities had only complied with the order after the notice was issued in the contempt plea and had thus committed wilful disobedience of the court order.
Further, the court refused to accept the unconditional apology of the officials and has stated that if any lenient view was to be taken against such officers, the same would send a wrong message to such Government Officials.
The Single bench while considering the facts and circumstances of the case observed that though the writ appeal was dismissed on 05.08.2019 and that the service was being regularised on 19.03.2021 and there being further abnormal delay in order to settle the monetary benefits.