CHENNAI: Madras High Court has granted three more weeks' time to Kannagi Packianathan, Secretary of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Ddepartment, to implement its earlier order and imposed a cost of Rs 15,000 on her for not doing so, despite lapse of over 18 months.
The official is taking time at her sweet will, without caring for the time schedule fixed by this Court, a division bench of Justices SK Agnihotri and MM Sundresh said, recently.
The bench, while passing orders on a writ petition from S Karuppiah, founder of Central & State Government SC and ST Employees Federation in Perunkulathur, on July 18, 2014 had directed the high level committee constituted as per a GO dated January 8, 2012 to finalise the shortfall vacancies for SCs and STs.
Thereafter, the committee will have to send the report to the government for issuing appropriate orders. The entire exercise will have to be done by the committee as well as the other respondents including the Home Secretary, within six months.
Contending that there was no compliance, the Federation filed the present contempt appication in July 2015. The officials sought time for compliance and the bench accordingly extended the time limit on several occasions.
When the matter came up on March 18 last, the Special Government Pleader prayed for three more weeks' time. "We are inclined to grant further time to report compliance of the order, subject to deposit of Rs 15,000 to the TN Mediation and Conciliation Centre, High Court, as costs, recoverable from the second respondent (Kannagi Packianathan)," the bench said.