Pondy LT Guv's Secy moves HC to quash showcause notice

Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi's Secretary has moved the Madras High Court seeking quashing of the showcause notice issued to him by Assembly Deputy Speaker for "contempt" of the House over the transfer of a top official.
When the petition by senior IAS officer G Theva Neethi Dhas came up for hearing today, Justice M Duraiswamy ordered issuing notices to the authorities concerned which are returnable byJune 8.
Dhas submitted that Puducherry Municipal Commissioner R Chandrasekaran was removed from the post on March 30 by Chief Secretary Manoj Parida based on an order of Assembly Deputy Speaker V Vaithilingam over a privilege issue raised by an MLA.

However, the Lt Governor in an email sent to him (Dhas), conveyed that the transfer order should not be given effect to, following which he wrote to the Chief Secretary to keep the order in abeyance.
However, treating this as "abetting the disobedience" of the order transferring Chandrasekaran, the Assembly Deputy Speaker issued notice to the petitioner asking him to appear on April 5.
On that day, another notice was issued to him asking why "contempt proceedings" should not be initiated against him for not complying with the transfer order.

Dhas contended that merely communicating the orders of the Lt Governor to the Chief Secretary, which he was bound to do, would not amount to "contempt of the Assembly".

"The contempt proceedings smacked of mala fide and liable to be quashed," he contended.
Bedi had termed as "invalid" the transfer of Chandrasekaran saying she was the "competent authority" on officials' service matters in the Union Territory.