CHENNAI: IAS officers who do not bother to comply with court orders should be stripped of their IAS cadre, the Madras high court said on Saturday.
The issue pertains to a plea moved by a Chennai-based scrap merchant challenging a demolition notice issued by the Greater Chennai Corporation. The court made the observations in view of delay by the authorities in deciding applications and appeals moved under the TN Town and Country Planning Act.
“Officers who are least bothered about the orders of this court and are not doing their duty, must be shown the door as it amounts to dishonesty in their duty,” said a division bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and R Vijayakumar.
Plea moved to challenge Corpn notice
In case of non-compliance with the orders of this court, it is time and again made clear that fine will be secondary and imprisonment will be primary, the court added.
According to the petitioner, though he had moved an appeal against the notice before the competent authority under the Act, he had approached the court as he feared his building would be demolished anytime.
Counsel for the civic body Raja Srinivas contended that the petitioner had encroached on government land. Whether was a temporary shed or full-fledged structure would be decided after verification of plan and other documents.
Dismissing the plea, the judges said, “Of late, it is reported that several IAS officers, dealing with applications under the Act, are not complying with the orders of this court, in spite of specific orders issued every now and then, fixing the outer time limit for disposal of the matters.”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/strip-them-of-cadre-madras-hc-raps-defiant-ias-officers/articleshow/88498621.cms