MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently dropped the suo motu contempt proceedings initiated against the HR and CE commissioner and the department’s joint commissioner in Madurai, for making a wrong statement before the court, in a writ appeal heard in January 2017, that the department has not approved any committee of members to celebrate Pongal in temple.
A Bench of justices R Subramanian and L Victoria Gowri noted that based on the false statement, the then division bench had closed the writ appeal in March 2017. However, the falsity of the claim came to light recently after the court was informed that the joint commissioner of the department continued to issue proceedings constituting panels to conduct Panguni festival in Muniyandi Swamy Vagayara temples in 2018, 2021 and 2023.
Following the suo motu contempt proceedings, the commissioner appeared before the court and filed a status report that action has been taken to stop such committees from being constituted. A circular has been issued on May 25, 2023, instructing all joint commissioners, assistant commissioners, executive officers that such panel should not be constituted as the relevant Act does not contemplate or vest any power with the department.
The commissioner said show cause notices have been issued to officers who have indulged in the practice. Recording this, the judges dropped the contempt proceedings.