Allahabad HC Sentences Addl Chief Secretary till rising of court

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A Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday sentenced Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary Mahesh Kumar Gupta till rising of the court, holding him guilty of contempt of court.

Gupta was taken into the court’s custody at about 10.30 am and made to stay there till 3.15 pm, when the court adjourned for the day.

Justice Vivek Chaudhary also imposed a fine of Rs. 25, 000 on him, clarifying that the cost of the fine shall not be borne by the State Government.

The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by Dr Kishore Tandon and eight other persons, alleging violation of the court’s orders passed in September 2017. The orders related to the preparation of seniority list of Assistant Review Officers (AROs).

By its September, 2017 order, the court had set aside an earlier seniority list and had directed the State to prepare a fresh one in six months, based on the court’s directions. However, the State government did not complete the said exercise within the six month period and hence, the present contempt petition was filed.