Don’t ignore Court directions!

In 1983, the Tamil Nadu government acquired a piece of land that belonged to Lalithambal to establish a residential complex in Koyambedu in Chennai. Since the land remained unused, a case was filed before the Madras High Court in 2003, requesting them to direct the state government to return the land entirely to its previous owner.
The High Court in turn directed the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to issue an appropriate order within two months.
Now, Lalithambal filed a contempt of court case against Anshul Mishra, the then CMDA head, and currently the director of the Urban habitat development board for not implementing the order. The case came up for hearing before the High Court justice Velmurugan on Friday.
Justice Velmurugan sentenced Anshul Mishra to one month of imprisonment, stating that not implementing the High Court order within the stipulated time is nothing but the contempt of court. He also recorded his strong condemnation that Mishra’s inaction was not just a mistake, but a challenge to the law itself.
People always approach government officials, police, MLAs, MPs, and ministers, seeking solutions to their problems. Only when it is not resolved, they move the court. That’s why the number of contempt of court cases remains high.
People believe in the judiciary system, and they believe that the court’s direction will be fulfilled at any cost. The Indian Constitution has given the Courts the powers to do so.
In such a situation, it is inappropriate for government officials to be lax in implementing court judgments and orders. The state governments should closely monitor the successful implementation of court directions within a time frame.
Justice Velmurugan’s verdict is a lesson for all government officials who are responsible for implementing court judgments and orders.