5 months ago
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Government officials cannot mention instrumentality and bid to flout tribunal orders, Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court said connected Wednesday portion proceeding 2 contempt of tribunal cases, including 1 related to the Thirupparankundram deepam row.
The justice was dissatisfied with the mentation fixed by Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, who appeared via video conferencing. “When a tribunal issues an order, unless it is stayed oregon acceptable speech by a higher forum, it has to beryllium obeyed. Of course, determination could beryllium cases wherever a judicial bid cannot beryllium implemented. I tin conceive of specified situations. But instrumentality and bid cannot beryllium a crushed for flouting a court’s order.”
“That would beryllium inexcusable. That would magnitude to breakdown of instrumentality and order. That would pb to paralysis of the law machinery,” the justice said.
Pursuant to the tribunal direction, Mr. Muruganandam and Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) S. Davidson Devasirvatham appeared earlier the tribunal done video conferencing.
Taking a superior presumption of the matter, the justice said the Chief Secretary was called upon to clarify arsenic to whether the District Collectors of Madurai and Dindigul had issued prohibitory orders nether Section 163 of BNSS, 2023, wholly connected their ain oregon connected instructions.
The tribunal said the attraction of the Chief Secretary was drawn to yet different lawsuit successful Dindigul territory wherever the operation of a church, which was being built without anterior approval, continued adjacent aft the tribunal granted an injunction against it.
“The spot is being utilized for congregation[al] worship. That is wherefore I directed the section authorities to instrumentality contiguous action. But the authorities look to beryllium acrophobic to adjacent interaction the building,” the justice said. One has to gully an adverse decision arsenic to wherefore the authorities are hesitant. Law and bid appears to beryllium a convenient fig leaf, helium added.
“I americium tired. In however galore cases americium I to haul up the officers acrophobic for contempt? Even today, the Chief Secretary, who was speechmaking retired from a prepared text, stated that adjacent though they had precocious respect for the judiciary, they had to instrumentality into relationship instrumentality and bid issues portion implementing the court’s orders. This is unacceptable,” Justice Swaminathan said.
The tribunal adjourned the lawsuit to January 9, 2026. “I expect the Chief Secretary to instrumentality a liable basal adjacent portion answering the question posed astatine the outset,” helium said.
The contemnors, including Madurai Collector K.J. Praveen Kumar and Commissioner of Police J. Loganathan, were present. The tribunal said the further quality of the contemnors was not dispensed with.
The Chief Secretary told the tribunal that the officials respected its orders and had nary volition to disobey them. However, successful definite situations wherever they had to similar appeals successful cases of conflicting orders, instrumentality and bid issues and fiscal matters, they were incapable to comply with the orders. The justice said it was their work to travel the tribunal orders.
