Telangana HC closes contempt case after compliance report

The Telangana High Court closed contempt proceedings against Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao after confirming compliance with its earlier order directing payment of timescale wages to two part-time sweepers in the Irrigation Department, Suryapet District.

Hyderabad: Justice E.V. Venugopal of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday took up a contempt petition, in the course of which the present Chief Secretary of the State, K. Ramakrishna Rao, personally appeared before the Court in connection with non-compliance of earlier judicial orders during his tenure as Principal Secretary, Finance Department.

The contempt case arises out of a writ petition filed in the year 2018 by two part-time sweepers working in the Irrigation Department in Suryapet district.

---

The petitioners had approached the High Court seeking payment of minimum time-scale wages along with applicable increments. The Court, after hearing the matter, had allowed the writ petition in 2023 and directed the authorities to consider and extend the said benefits.

However, alleging non-compliance of the said directions by the Finance Department, the petitioners initiated contempt proceedings before the High Court. When the matter was taken up, the Chief Secretary placed on record that the directions issued by the High Court had since been complied with.

He also submitted material to substantiate that the implementation had been carried out in terms of the Court’s earlier order.

The Court recorded the submission of the Chief Secretary that the orders had been implemented. In view of the compliance reported and the material placed on record, Justice E.V. Venugopal closed the contempt proceedings.