Justice NV Shravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court on Friday sentenced Manohar Reddy, the executive officer of Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad, to one month simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 in a contempt of court case. However, the imprisonment has been suspended for 15 days, allowing the EO to pursue legal remedies. The judge was dealing with a petition filed by petitioner Rakesh Agaiduty, accusing the EO of willfully disobeying the High Court’s order dated June 13, 2024 directing the temple to extend the lease given to Agaiduty for collecting sarees at Mahankali temple by five months, starting July 1, 2024.
Despite receiving multiple communications, including a registered letter on June 14, 2024, and a legal notice on July 6, 2024, Manohar Reddy failed to comply with the court’s directive. The petitioner repeatedly sought the implementation of the high court’s order, but the EO did not take any steps to do so. During the contempt hearing, counsel for Manohar Reddy argued that an appeal against the order had been filed, but it was dismissed by a division bench on July 19, 2024. Although a Special Leave Petition (SLP) was filed before the Supreme Court, no stay order had been issued to halt the implementation of the high court’s ruling.