Orders issued to serve notice on top Govt officers in contempt petition

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice R G Awchat and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh on Wednesday issued orders to service a notice to top Government officers for their failure to start the Government sanctioned development works even after the court orders.

According to details, the then Maha Vikas Aghadi Government approved development works in the budgets of 2021-22 and 2022-23 years. After administrative and technical approvals, the work orders were issued. However, Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis led Government to give a stay on the development works. All the development works across the state came to stand still due to stay.

Public representatives from Ambad, Ghansaungi and Jalna tehsils filed a petition through adv Sambhajin Tope against the decision of the State Government.

Delivering the judgement on March 3, 2023, the HC observed that the works which were sanctioned in budget and approved by both the houses and even by Governor, cannot be stalled as per the Constitution.

The court cancelled the stay orders of the Shinde-Fadnavis Government and issued orders to take a decision to resume the works. The petitioner requested the Government to follow court directives time and again. No action was taken despite the clear court orders.

Upset over this, the then chairman of Jalna Zilla Parishad Pooja Sapate, former vice president of the Municipal Council Satish Tope and Vishwambhar Bhutekar filed a contempt petition through adv Sambhaji Tope.

The court has issued orders to service notice to Secretary of Planning Department Saurabh Vijay, additional chief secretary of Public Works Department Manisha Mhaiskar Patankar, chief engineer D D Ukirde (Public Works Department, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Dr Vijay Rathod (district collector, Jalna) and M G Kandilkar (Executive Engineer, Public Works Department-II, Jalna).

The hearing in the contempt petition has been placed after two weeks. Advocates Vaibhav Pawar, Vaibhav Deshmukh, and Hrishikesh Shinde are assisting adv Tope who represented the petitioners.