Andhra Pradesh: Three IAS officers serve social service sentence for contempt of court

Conceding the officers’ plea, Justice Devanandh directed that they should instead visit the social welfare, ST and BC welfare hostels in the specified districts any one Sunday of every month for a year.

Amaravati:Three IAS officers who were charged with contempt of court, conducted service programs at tribal welfare hostels as part of a social service sentence imposed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Sunday. The HC bench headed by Justice B. Devanandh had earlier sentenced 8 IAS officers to simple imprisonment for two weeks, along with a fine of Rs 1,000 each in contempt of court case. However, he modified his order after the officials tendered an unconditional apology for failing to discharge their duties.

Conceding the officers’ plea, Justice Devanandh directed that they should instead visit the social welfare, ST and BC welfare hostels in the specified districts any one Sunday of every month for a year. It was also ordered to spend some time with the students to motivate them and arrange a lunch or dinner for them funded from the officers' own personal money.

The matter wherein the officers committed contempt of court dates back to June 11, 2020, when the High Court had ruled that the management and construction of village and ward secretariats, farmer assurance centres and health centres on public school premises should be removed citing infrastructural issues. For more than a year, those orders were ignored by the authorities.

Consequently, on July 12, 2021, a suo moto case was filed on contempt of court case against senior IAS officers from the then Panchayati Raj, the municipality and the school education department. The matter was heard in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which pronounced the verdict. Executing the orders, one of the officers, Special Principal Secretary Srilakshmi visited the Vatluru Girls' Gurukul School in Pedapadu Mandal of Eluru district on Sunday.

She inquired the students about the facilities there and advised them to pursue higher secondary education. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary of School Education B. Rajasekhar visited the Tribal Ashram School and hostel in Srikakulam. He had brief conversations with the students there, after which he served lunch to the students. He was accompanied by Collector Srikesh B.Lathkar, DEO Pagadalamma and Tribal Welfare Minister DD Kamala.

Retired IAS officer V. Chinaveerabhadrudu, the third of the officers, visited the tribal boys' hostel in Vizianagaram. He spoke to students for four hours and had one-on-one conversations with the students here, followed by a lunch party with them.