HC directs CS to reprimand Rajanna Siricilla Collector

Observing that no government officer can initiate proceedings by disregarding the Rule of Law and such violations require deterrent action, the Telangana High Court, on Thursday, instructed the Chief Secretary to reprimand Rajanna Siricilla Collector Sandeep Kumar Jha.

Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, while pronouncing the verdict in a criminal petition filed by a housewife seeking to quash a cheating case against her at the behest of the Collector, said that the case showed the Collector’s office in poor light.

“Action of the Collector shocks the conscience of this Court, nothing more is to be penned,” the judge said. Expressing “strong displeasure” over the actions, the judge said that the Bench was initially inclined to order firm action against him. But the court restrained itself “keeping in view the long tenure of the officer”.

The house of the petitioner Vanapatla Kavitha, 43, in Anupuram was acquired by the government in 2004. Compensation was also paid, but her name was not shown in the list of project displaced families. She filed a writ petition in the HC which declared that her family comes under the definition of ‘project displaced family’.

She also filed a contempt of court case as the district administration did not comply with the HC order. The government filed an appeal against HC order declaring her family a project-displaced family. Both the contempt of court case and the appeal plea are pending for adjudication by the HC.

Interestingly, the Vemulawada town police station house officer registered a cheating case under section 420 of IPC against the woman based on a complaint lodged by the Vemulawada Urban Tahsildar. Neither the police officer nor the Tahsildar was a party in any of the writ, contempt and appeal petitions. Following this, the woman filed a criminal petition requesting the HC to quash the FIR.

Inquiries revealed that the Collector wrote to the Revenue Divisional Officer to initiate criminal proceedings against the woman. The latter directed the Tahsildar who lodged the complaint. The “authorities directing to initiate criminal proceedings definitely amounts to abuse of the process of the court”, the judge noted. Such actions amount to curbing the freedom of life and liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, he added.