Setback for Kerala govt as SC rejects plea on Senkumar order, issues contempt notice
- The SC bench told the Kerala government that it was wasting the court's time
- The apex court had ordered the reinstatement of TP Senkumar on April 24
- The bench issued a contempt of court notice to the government for the delay in the reinstatement
- The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the Kerala government
FollowIn a strongly worded order, the SC bench told the Kerala government that it was wasting the court's time. The bench also issued a contempt of court notice to the state government for the alleged delay in Senkumar's reinstatement despite the apex court's recent order.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the Kerala government, which had filed a separate application seeking certain clarifications on SC's April 24 judgement on Senkumar.
The SC sought the response of the Kerala chief secretary on a contempt plea by Senkumar. A bench of justices MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta issued notice to chief secretary Nalini Netto on the contempt plea and fixed the matter for hearing on May 9.
Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for Senkumar, told the bench that the state government has "mocked" the judgement passed by the apex court, which had on April 24 directed reinstatement of the senior IPS officer as the state police chief.
The counsel representing Kerala government told the bench that the process to reinstate was going on and the state government has also filed a review petition in the apex court. "That is not an argument. We will see the review petition when it will come up for hearing before us," the bench responded to Kerala's counsel.
The state's counsel requested the bench not to impose cost and said that he would withdraw the application but the court was in no mood to let it go. "We are dismissing it with costs. We are permitting them to withdraw it (application) with a cost of Rs 25,000," the bench said.
The SC bench said that it had not gone into the allegations of malafide raised by Senkumar earlier before it but the state was "somehow confirming" the same by filing such an application.
The apex court had on April 24 ordered the reinstatement of Senkumar, saying he was transferred by the ruling LDF government "unfairly" and "arbitrarily". Senkumar had on April 29 moved the apex court seeking contempt action against the state government and its chief secretary alleging "wilful, deliberate disobedience" of its order reinstating him.
(with PTI inputs)
