HC flays govt counsels for not replying to notices

JAIPUR: Rajasthan high court has pulled up the government counsels who do not reply to the court notices on time. It has directed the advocate general to take them to task.
The court had issued notices last year on a PIL by Vijay Kumar alleging rampant encroachment on the government land near National Highway-11 resulting in waterlogging from VKI to Jadola area during the rainy season and court had issued notices to the respondents including Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) and Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) said counsel for petitioner Anil Kumar Sharma.
Though the Jaipur Municipal Corporation was served notice and it was represented by its lawyer Naina Saraf, reply was filed till date. Similarly notice was served, no one appeared in the court though vakalatnama was field by Dr A S Khangarot and his name also figured in the cause list also on behalf of JDA. The division bench of Justice Ajay Rastogi and J K Ranka directed the Advocate General to take cognizance of the matter against such counsels who are not taking interest in cases and assisting the court to decide cases.
The court said, "We grant six months time to both the authorities to file their written response failing which commissioner JDA and JMC to be personally present in the court on September 22."