HC STAYS JAIL TERM AWARDED TO IAS OFFICER

The Hyderabad High Court on Friday stayed the sentence of 30-day civil imprisonment awarded to former Mahbubnagar joint collector K. Siva Kumar Naidu in a contempt of court case.

A division bench of Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K. Vijaya Lakshmi, while dealing with an appeal by Mr Naidu challenging the sentence awarded by a single judge, made it clear that he should pay the fine of `2,000.

A single judge had allowed a contempt case by Mr A.B. Buchaiah, a retired government officer, who had alleged that Mr Naidu had wilfully disobeyed the court order and sentenced him to civil imprisonment despite knowing that the High Court had granted an interim order in his favour.

Mr Buchaiah said he had two acres in Mahbubnagar where he planned to construct a kalyana mandapam and obtained permission on January 18, 2016. When he started construction, Mr Naidu passed an order on July 1, 2017, based on a complaint of one Surender Kumar.

Aggrieved by the order, Mr Buchaiah moved the High Court in 2017 and a single judge stayed the order in August 2017. When he started construction in view of the stay, the then joint collector in September 2017 passed an order directing the circle inspector of Mahbubnagar to imprison Mr Buchaiah for violating the joint collector order and continuing with the construction of kalyana mandapam. While admitting Mr Naidu’s appeal, the bench adjourned the matter.