VIJAYAWADA: A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court suspended the implementation of the single judge orders sentencing serving and retired IAS officers to varied terms of imprisonment in a contempt of court case.The contempt proceedings were issued in the case related to a petition filed by T Savitramma, whose three acres land in Erragunta of Venkatachalam mandal of Nellore district, was taken for setting up of a government institution. The High Court had earlier asked the officials concerned to pay the compensation amount.
As there was a delay in payment of the compensation, Savitramma filed a contempt petition. Justice B Devanand of the High Court, who heard the case recently, sentenced former IAS officer Manmohan Singh to four weeks’ imprisonment and imposed Rs 1,000 fine. Principal secretary (finance) S S Rawat got one month jail and Rs 2,000 fine, former Nellore district collector R Muthyala Raju two- week jail and Rs 1,000 fine and former collector MV Seshagiri Babu and the present collector NV Chakradhar were fined.The officers challenged the single judge orders and got relief. The bench of Chief Justice Arup Kumar Goswamy and Justice N Jayasurya stayed the implementation of the single judge orders.