HC orders IAS officer's arrest for failure to appear in contempt case

The Madras High Court Monday ordered the arrest of Tamil Nadu higher education secretary Mangat Ram Sharma, taking a serious view of his failure to appear in the court in a contempt case despite advance notice.

"Contempt proceedings are serious proceedings and they cannot be taken lightly, especially, by a higher official like the higher education secretary," Justice N Kriubakaran said in his order.

Directing the court registry to issue a bailable warrant against the IAS official, the judge ordered the Chennai Police Commissioner to arrest and produce him before the court by January 9.

He was passing further interim orders on a contempt petition filed by the Association of Self Financing Arts and Science and Management Colleges in Tamil Nadu against the Coimbatore-based Bharathiyar University over setting up of distance education study centres through franchises institutes in areas outside its jurisdiction.

The judge had on December 4, 2018 ordered Sharma, Bharathiyar University Registrar (in-charge) B Vanitha and eight other syndicate members to appear in the court Monday.

When the case came up for hearing, all the officials barring Sharma were present.

The Additional Advocate General said Sharma was away in Vellore for a Syndicate meeting of the Thiruvalluvar University based there.

Refusing to accept the explanation, the judge said: "It is not as if he was asked to appear before this court at short notice."
Noting that contempt proceedings were serious in nature, the judge further said, "The court has got every reason to believe that he had deliberately avoided appearance."