Andhra HC sentences 8 IAS officials to 2 week jail, revises order after apology

Amaravati, March 31: Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday sentenced eight Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers to jail for two weeks in a contempt of court case. But after they tendered an apology, the court revised the order and directed them to serve in social welfare hostels one day every month for a period of one year.

Taking serious note of the officials not obeying its orders, the court sentenced them.

Panchayat Raj principal secretary G. K. Dwivedi, its commissioner Girijasankar, school education principal secretary B. Rajasekhar, its commissioner Chinna Veerabhadrudu, higher education secretary J. Shyamala Rao, its former director Vijay Kumar, present director M. M. Naik appeared and municipal administration and urban development principal secretary Y. Srilakshmi were the officials sentenced by the court.

After the officials apologised, the court withdrew the jail sentence and directed them to serve in social welfare hostels for one day every month. They were also asked to bear the expenses towards mid-day meals and dinner of students and one day expenses of the court.

The court pulled up the officials for not implementing its orders to remove village and ward secretariats from government schools. It observed that the officials deliberately did not implement the orders passed a year ago and have thus committed contempt of court.

A single judge bench of Justice Battu Devanand had heard the contempt case in September last year. At that time officials' counsel and government pleader had informed that that the state government had already issued an order to get the secretariats and Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) in government schools premises vacated. They had told the court that at several premises of schools, such facilities were already withdrawn.