HC slams authorities for showing 'scant respect' to orders

Slamming authorities for 'scant respect' to orders, the Madras High Court has made it clear that officials found wilfully disobeying court orders would have to go to jail.
The First Bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, was hearing contempt pleas filed by petitioners earlier this week.
A petition was filed by All India Teachers Front seeking contempt action against the then Special Officer of Salem Cooperative Sugar Mills Matriculation Higher Secondary School for having failed to implement a court order on pay parity between cooperative school staff with their counterparts in other schools.

The judges, pointing out that the petitioner was before the court since 2004, said that even after the high court had upheld the petitioner's rights and the Supreme Court dismissed the school's case, authorities had not implemented the orders.
Questioning the Government Counsel, the Bench said the petitioner was fighting for their rights for the past eleven years since 2004.
An order was passed by the court in 2008 directing the then Special Officer/and now the DRO/Managing Director of Salem Co-operative Sugar Mills Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Mohanur, Namakkal district to pay government scales and other attendant benefits to teaching and non-teaching staff as per the Directorate of Matriculation Schools proceedings dated February 12, 2003 "which is not implemented till 2014."

"How many contempt petitions are before this court? The officials have scant respect. We will send them to jail. Tell us which is the nearest jail. All is not well. You don't want to implement the orders."
Immediately after this, another contempt case with regard to some forest department came up in which the Bench issued notice to authorities concerned questioning them why they should not be proceeded against contempt for "wilful disobedience of orders of the court and be punished in accordance with law."
The Bench then posted the petitions for further hearing to July 14.