90% officials think they are above the law in Andhra Pradesh: HC

VIJAYAWADA: The high court on Wednesday made serious observations over the functioning of bureaucrats in the state. Hearing a contempt petition filed against the officials for failing to implement its orders, Justice Battu Devanand said that 90 per cent officials in the state are under the impression that they are above the law and do not need to implement the orders of the courts.

One R V Papa Rao, working as an attender at Sri Kandukuri Rajyalakshmi college for women, had moved the high court in 2017, seeking directions to implement orders of the Supreme Court on payment of salary as per time scale. The high court had allowed the petition and directed officials concerned to pay the salary as per the apex court’s order.
As the high court’s order was not implemented, Papa Rao moved a contempt petition. The HC had earlier issued notices for personal appearance of endowments commissioner Arjun Rao, special commissioner for college education M M Naik, regional joint director of college education David Kumar, and Rammohan Rao, executive officer of SKR college, for failing to implement its order.
However, the officials did not appear before the court even after receiving the notices. The counsel for one of the petitioners filed an application to dispense with appearance stating that he was infected with Covid-19. However, the high court expressed displeasure with the application as it was not mentioned when he was affected with the virus and his condition.
Justice Devanand said it appears that officials are least concerned with a poor employee who works as an attender. At one stage, Justice Devanand held the respondent officers guilty and issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against them.
However, after the counsel for one of the respondents requested the NBWs be reconsidered as the officials would appear before the court by afternoon, he allowed the request and heard the matter again. Justice Devanand questioned Arjun Rao and M M Nayak as to why the orders of the court have not been implemented for while directing the NBW against David Kumar be executed.