Tamil Nadu government should push officers to implement court orders promptly

A man named Selvanayagam was working as a Deputy Collector in Thoothukudi. On the day he was supposed to retire, he was dismissed from his post. He filed a petition in the Madurai branch of the Madras High Court, claiming that he was dismissed without proper reasons and seeking the cancellation of his suspension along with the payment of his retirement benefits.
Similarly, Murugesan from Nellai filed a petition in court, demanding action against revenue officials for failing to comply with a court order.
These cases came up for hearing yesterday before Justice Pattu Devanand. During the hearing, Amudha IAS, Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, appeared in court. The judge then raised several questions directed at the Tamil Nadu government.
"In the last two months alone, 550 contempt of court cases have been registered in the Madurai High Court. Many officials delay court order implementation by three months. District Collectors, Revenue Officers, and Tahsildars have delayed compliance for as long as three years," the judge noted. He further questioned, "Do government officials follow a policy of ignoring court orders?"
In 2023, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Sivadas Meena ordered that court rulings be implemented immediately. However, how many officials have followed that order? Why are they refusing to implement High Court decisions? The judge posed a series of questions. In response, the government assured the court that appropriate action would be taken to enforce the orders.
The judge criticised the increasing tendency of government officials to delay court rulings, even when they cannot completely ignore them. He also expressed concern over the rising number of contempt of court cases due to such delays.
When a court issues an order, it is the duty of both central and state government officials to implement it promptly. It is inappropriate for officials to create unnecessary legal hurdles, forcing people to appeal to another court just to enforce an existing ruling. Such delays waste valuable court time. The government must address these issues before further action is taken against officials who obstruct justice.
In India, people strongly believe that even if they do not receive justice from politicians or government agencies, they can still rely on the courts to uphold their rights. Therefore, government officials must be proactive in implementing court orders to prevent the increase in contempt of court cases. The government should provide clear guidelines for enforcement and ensure proper oversight. The Tamil Nadu government could even consider setting up a monitoring committee to track compliance.