HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad High Court has imposed costs amounting to `15,000 on the Regional Passport Office here for showing carelessness in the discharge of its work in a case.
While disposing of a contempt petition filed by P Venkat Reddy, Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said that the respondent Regional Passport Officer cannot be held guilty under the Contempt of Courts Act in the matter. adding that the respondent office’s fault was that it had not taken timely action, which led to one B Sulochana Reddy leaving the country despite criminal proceedings pending against her.
The petitioner had written a letter to the Regional Passport Officer urging him to impound the passports of Bollampally Narasimha Reddy and Bollampally Sulochana Reddy who are accused in a criminal case pending in the XX Metropolitan Magistrate in Malkajgiri. When the authorities failed to take any action, he approached the High Court and the latter issued an order on August 23 directing the authorities to consider his application and pass orders.
Later, he filed a contempt case seeking punishment of the passport officer for wilfully disobeying the court order by inaction. Dealing with the contempt case, the judge ordered the presence of the passport officer and directed him to file an affidavit explaining the reasons for his failure to implement the court order. In reply, the passport officer submitted that they had issued notices to both the respondents/accused prior to the interim order of the court. Citing ill health the respondents sought time to appear before the passport office. Discharging the passport officer from the contempt proceedings, the judge imposed costs of ` 15,000 to be paid within one week to the petitioner.