HC issues contempt notice to UP official in IPS officer case

The Allahabad High Court has issued contempt notice to Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) Debashish Panda on a petition filed by IPS officer Amitabh Thakur.
The notice was issued by the court's Lucknow bench of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya on May 10 on Thakur's petition in which he had claimed that respondent officers were not complying with the orders of the court related to departmental inquiry against him.
The petitioner said the court had directed on January 13 that departmental inquiry would be proceeded against him only after all the documents are provided to him.
Against this, the petitioner presented a letter dated May 2 by the Home Secretary which says the documents from the districts would have been made available to him, which makes it clear that the Home Secretary was not very clear or sure as to whether the documents from the district officers had been made available to the petitioner or not.

As departmental proceedings against him were continuing, the petitioner said it amounted to contempt of the court's order.
The bench said that in another petition, the court provided that the inquiry officer will proceed with the inquiry but the disciplinary authority shall not pass any final order till further orders of the court.
"As observed above from the letter dated 02.05.2016,issued by the Secretary, Department of Home, what appears is that he himself is not very sure as to whether the documents from the district officers have been made available to the petitioner or not. Accordingly, issue notice to respondent no.1(Debashish Panda), who may file his response through counsel," the bench ordered.