HC stays order finding former Coimbatore Collector, DRO, RDO, and Tahsildar guilty of contempt

The Madras High Court on Wednesday stayed the operation of an order passed by a single judge finding former Coimbatore Collector Kranti Kumar Patil (now serving as Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation), District Revenue Officer M. Sharmila, and Revenue Divisional Officer P.K. Govindan guilty of contempt of court and directing them to pay ₹10,000 each from their salaries to the contempt petitioner.

A summer vacation Bench of Justices Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy and Justice T.V. Thamilselvi also granted interim stay of the single judge’s order finding Coimbatore North Tahsildar Manivel guilty of contempt and sentencing him to undergo one month simple imprisonment besides paying an amount equivalent to his monthly salary as compensation to a 74-year-old litigant who was affected due to official apathy. The Division Bench ordered notice, returnable by four weeks, to the litigant John Chandy on the individual contempt appeals filed by the four contemnors and granted interim stay till then.

The contempt petition was filed before the single judge for non-compliance of an order passed by the court on November 8, 2023 to consider the petitioner’s grievance related to patta entries within two months.