Madras High Court Sentences IAS Officer to Jail for Contempt, Slaps Rs 25k Fine from Salary
Court found that the senior bureaucrat had failed to comply with the court's direction issued on 22 November 2023;
The Madras High Court has sentenced Anshul Mishra, IAS and Member Secretary of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), to one month of simple imprisonment and imposed a personal fine of Rs 25,000 for wilfully disobeying a court order passed in November 2023.
The bench of Justice P. Velmurugan, delivering the verdict in a contempt petition filed by R. Lalithambai and her brother K.S. Viswanathan, found that the senior bureaucrat had failed to comply with a direction issued in a 2023 petition. The court had, on 22 November 2023, ordered Mishra to consider the petitioners' representation for re-conveyance of 6.5 cents of land acquired by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in 1983, and to pass a reasoned order within two months.
Despite reminders and a legal notice sent by the petitioners, no action was taken until February 2025—after the contempt proceedings had already commenced. While the CMDA eventually held an enquiry on 21 February and rejected the request on 28 February 2025, the court found this delay inexcusable.
Calling the non-compliance “willful and wanton,” the judge rejected Mishra’s explanation that he had taken charge only recently and was hampered by administrative issues. “The excuses offered are neither bona fide nor satisfactory,” the court stated, observing that public servants are duty-bound to obey judicial orders without fail.
The judgment emphasized that the public's confidence in the justice system rests on the prompt implementation of court orders. "Public service is not a privilege but a trust reposed in the officials by the people...Once an order is passed by this Court, it is binding, and compliance is not optional,” the judge noted.
Court not only sentenced Mishra to one month of simple imprisonment but also directed him to pay Rs. 25,000 as compensation to the petitioners. The amount is to be recovered from his personal salary, and failure to pay it within three weeks will result in an additional 10 days of imprisonment. The sentence has been suspended for the duration of the appeal period.
The case pertains to land in Koyambedu village which was acquired more than four decades ago. The petitioners claimed that 6.5 cents of the acquired land had remained unused and was now being marked as “poramboke” land. They sought its return, citing advanced age and lack of utilization by the authorities.
The CMDA’s rejection was based on the claim that the land was required for widening the Nesapakkam Road. However, the court made it clear that procedural compliance with judicial orders could not be brushed aside based on administrative convenience.
Case Title: Mrs.R.Lalithambai and Another vs. Thiru.Anshul Mishra, IAS
Download judgment here