High Court directs bailable warrant against IAS officer Sangeeta Tetarwal, imposes cost

Chandigarh, May 13

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the issuance of a bailable warrant against IAS officer Sangeeta Tetarwal for ensuring her presence before the Bench on a petition alleging contempt of court. Justice Rajbir Sehrawat also burdened her with Rs 10,000 costs.

The matter was placed before Justice Sehrawat’s Bench after Narinder Pal Mal of Ambala alleged that an order passed by the high court was being violated knowingly, amounting to contempt of court. The Bench was told that a petition was filed for holding as illegal the action of official respondents, who were “causing forceful and illegal obstruction in stopping the construction on the plot owned and possessed by him”.

The petition was disposed of by directing Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ambala, to decide the representation filed by the petitioner after granting him personal hearing. The petitioner alleged the time granted by the high court had already lapsed, but action had not been taken in the order’s compliance.

Justice Sehrawat observed: “Neither the compliance report has been filed by the respondent, nor she is represented before this court, despite due intimation already having been sent to her by the office of the Advocate-General, Haryana. This has called for initiation of the coercive process against the respondent”

Fixing September 19 as the next date of hearing, Justice Sehrawat asserted the costs was being imposed since the adjournment was occasioned because of the respondent’s default.