Don't hound public spirited govt servants: Bombay HC to Goa govt

Panaji, June 28 The Bombay High Court bench in Goa on Monday questioned the Goa government over alleged harassment of a whistle-blowing bureaucrat, after he accused the State Sewage and Infrastructure Development Corporation of releasing untreated sewage water into a waterbody.

The petitioner Uday Chari, who is employed as a nurse at the state government's Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, had moved the High Court to quash a First Information Report filed by the state government against him, accusing the petitioner of sourcing copies of field water quality test reports in an unauthorised manner. The FIR was filed against Chari in 2012.

"You are pursuing this from 2012 and 2021. Are you trying to say that if somebody goes against the government that you will file complaints against them? Do the Government departments have no other work?" a division bench comprising of Justices M.S. Sonak and M.S. Jawalikar said on Monday.

The Bench further observed, that instead of filing FIRs against public-spirited government servants, the government should instead welcome such initiatives.

"You should welcome such government servants. Instead of hounding the messenger you should take the message. Go against this person. This is not the way. You should (instead) reward him. Are these some documents under the Official Secrets Act?" the Bench said.

Earlier, public prosecutor AG. Nagvenkar said that an offence was clearly made out and that there was no question of quashing the case filed against Chari.

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