Six-month imprisonment to Medak Collector in contempt case

The Telangana High Court awarded punishment of simple imprisonment of six months to Medak District Collector and IAS officer of 2015 batch Rahul Raj P.S., holding him guilty in a contempt of court case.

Justice K. Lakshman of the High Court, pronouncing verdict in the contempt of court case filed by 51-year-old woman N. Laxmi, instructed the IAS officer to pay ₹4,000. The sentence was suspended for four weeks.

The petitioner filed the contempt case stating that Medak District Collector wilfully disobeyed the order of the High Court in writ petition no. 8915 of 2024. Laxmi, who was the petitioner in that matter, contended that her father Chakali Ushaiah owned two acres and 22 guntas of land at Bonal village in Chegunta mandal of Medak. Her father died in 1987 and eventually her mother too passed away.

Because she was the only daughter, Laxmi claimed rights over the property and submitted an application to the authorities to mutate the land on her name in 2022 and issue Pattadar Passbook. With the authorities, rejecting her request, she moved the HC which directed the authorities to consider her application in accordance with the law by putting all other persons claiming rights over the same property on notice.

The authorities passed an order on January 20, 2024 stating that her father sold the property to T. Gangaiah, G. Narayana, K. Mallaiah through an unregistered sale deed (sadabainama) and she was not in physical possession of the said land. The Collector also cited a report of the Tahsildar and Girdawar concerned and directed her to approach civil court.

The woman filed contempt of court case stating that the Collector disobeyed the HC order. Justice K. Lakshman, after hearing contentions of the petitioner’s counsel and the government pleaders, noted that despite specific directions of the Bench to put all interested parties on notice in the matter, the Collector wilfully disobeyed the same by not insisting for submission of the sadabainama details.