Contempt notice to senior UP official in IPS officer's case

The Allahabad High Court on Monday issued a contempt notice to a top Uttar Pradesh government official for not providing documents to IPS officer Amitabh Thakur with regard to a departmental inquiry against him.

The contempt notice was issued to Principal Secretary (Home) Debashish Panda by Justice D.K. Upadhyaya of the high court's bench here for not complying with its direction to provide documents to the suspended Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.

The high court on January 13 had stayed the departmental inquiry against Thakur till documents demanded by him in connection with the probe are provided to him by the state government.

It directed the government to provide the documents to him within four weeks.

But instead of providing them, the state government filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court.

The apex court dismissed the petition on March 14.

Following that, Thakur filed the contempt petition in the high court.

Thakur had challenged the departmental inquiry started against him after his suspension last year and sought directions to provide 67 documents related to it.

The state government had suspended him on charges of misconduct, taking part in dharnas and filing PILs (public interest litigation petitions).