AP HC says three AIS officers have disobeyed its order

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday observed that prima facie three all India service officers have been wilfully disobedient in implementing its earlier order to regularise services of sericulture department employees and provide benefits to them.

In this regard, a single judge bench headed by Justice Battu Devanand directed serving of a non-bailable warrant against senior IAS officer Poonam Malakondaiah for failing to appear before the court despite instructions to do so. However, the government pleader informed that her absence had been intimated to the court. The judge said as the same has not been filed, the court considers her absence as being without prior intimation.

Another senior IAS officer S.S. Rawat and a senior IFS officer Chiranjeevi Chowdary had been present in the court during the hearing.

A few employees of sericulture department had moved the High Court seeking that it direct the state government to regularise their services and provide benefits due to them. When the court passed an order to this effect but the employees were still not regularised, they moved the court again with contempt of court proceedings saying the court’s order to regularise their services has not been implemented.

The court posted the next hearing on the matter to September 29.

HC orders Chief Secretary to appear before it

Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das to appear before it in person for hearing a case related to delay in clearing bills for works taken up under MGNREGS in the next hearing on September 24.

A single judge bench headed by Justice Battu Devanand issued the directive while hearing a batch of petitions on delay in clearing bills for job works done under MGNREGS.

Justice Devanand observed that as both central and state governments are giving different versions over non-clearance of bills, the Chief Secretary should be present during the next hearing.