Madras High Court Raps Bureaucrat In Contempt Case, Imposes Rs 1 Lakh Fine

The Madras High Court has come down heavily on the Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner, questioning whether he considers himself "above the court" simply because he is an IAS officer. The court has ordered the Commissioner to appear in person tomorrow, explaining his conduct.

The strong observations came during a contempt of court hearing filed by advocate and former councillor Rukmangathan. He had approached the court, seeking action against illegal constructions in Zone 5 of the Chennai Corporation, particularly in Royapuram. The court had earlier directed the Corporation to take action not only in Zone 5 but across other zones as well, in an order dated December 2021.

However, the petitioner alleged that the Corporation failed to act on the court's directive, prompting him to file a contempt petition against the Commissioner. Hearing the matter, a bench of Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala and Justice Sundar Mohan questioned why the earlier order had not been implemented.

The bench imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Commissioner, which would be deducted from his salary and donated to the Adyar Cancer Institute. When the matter came up again, Additional Advocate General J. Ravindran sought to suspend the fine, admitting there had been a lapse on the part of the legal team.

The Chief Justice, however, was unsparing in his criticism. He remarked that even if the legal counsel had filed incorrect affidavits, the Commissioner was duty-bound to verify them before signing. Failure to do so, he said, made him unfit to hold the post.

The court asked why the Commissioner failed to appear for the contempt proceedings earlier and directed him to be present tomorrow with a proper affidavit. The decision on the penalty will be made later.