'Time to send an IAS officer to jail': Karnataka HC over officers not following court orders
Bengaluru(PTI): Expressing displeasure that government officials were not following the orders of the High Court, a division bench of the Karnataka HC on Monday made an observation that "it's time an IAS officer is sent to jail".
A single-judge bench ordered the state on July 19, 2021 to issue a notification within two months of a draft amendment rules regarding merging Group-C with Group-B jobs in the various municipalities of the state.
An employees association of the Karnataka city municipality workers had filed a contempt petition as the single judge order was not followed.
The matter came up for hearing on May 31, 2022 but the state government had failed to issue the notification.
The HC had posted the hearing to June 6 and directed Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh of the Urban Development Department and M S Archana, director of Municipal Administration to be present.
On Monday, both the officers were present before the division bench of the court headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi.
Additional Advocate General Dhyan Chinnappa informed the court that the draft rules have been framed and notified on June 3. Objections can be filed within 15 days. An affidavit stating this was submitted to the court.
The court recorded the submission and adjourned the case by six weeks. The court also directed that the officers should be present in court on the next date of hearing too.
During the hearing on Monday, the court observed that officers were not taking court orders seriously. It was because they were summoned to court that the court order was followed to an extent.
The HC said "it is time an IAS officer is sent to jail", as it made no secret of its displeasure about the behaviour of government officers not following court orders.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Foreign Secretary Misri reviews defence, trade ties, West Asia with senior US officials
Washington (PTI): India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met senior US officials here and discussed ways to further deepen the defence and trade relations and exchanged views on the developments in the Indo-Pacific and West Asia.
On a three-day visit here, Misri met under secretaries Michael Duffey and Elbridge Colby in the Department of Defence, and under secretaries Jeffrey Kessler and William Kimmitt in the Department of Commerce.
“Sustaining the momentum of India-US defence exchanges, Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri had another wide ranging conversation with Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby @USWPColby at the Pentagon, covering the ongoing developments in the Indo-Pacific region and West Asia,” the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on X.
Colby visited India last month and met Misri in New Delhi on the sidelines of the India-US Defence Policy Group meeting.
Misri also had a “fruitful interaction” with Duffey, the Under Secretary in the Department of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, at the Pentagon near here.
“Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri had a fruitful interaction with the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Mike Duffey @USDASDuffey at the Pentagon,” the Indian Embassy said in another post on X.
The two principals discussed ways to further deepen the defence industrial, technology and supply chain linkages between India and the US, in line with the ambitious goals laid out in the Framework for the bilateral Major Defence Partnership signed last year, the embassy said.
Misri also met under secretaries Jeffrey Kessler and William Kimmitt in the Department of Commerce here.
Kessler is the Under Secretary for Bureau of Industry and Security, while Kimmitt is the Under Secretary for International Trade Administration.
“Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri met Under Secretaries Jeffrey Kessler @BISgov and William Kimmitt @TradeGov to expand cooperation in commercial and critical technologies – key to transforming the India-US partnership for the 21st century. They also discussed building resilient and trusted supply chains,” the embassy said.
Misri is visiting the US to review bilateral trade and defence relations and discuss global developments, including the crisis in West Asia.
His visit comes as both the US and India work to stabilise the ties after a spell of uncertainty and strain.
The relations witnessed a major downturn after the US imposed punitive tariffs on India, and President Donald Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May.
