The Supreme Court on Wednesday summoned Maharashtra government’s the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) for Revenue and Forest Department to appear in person before it on September 9, to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him fie making contemptuous comments in an affidavit filed by him in connection with the calculation of compensation to be given to a person whose land at Pashan in Pune was “illegally” occupied more than six decades ago.
Directing the Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar to appear in person on the next date of hearing, a bench of Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice KV Viswanathan summoned the senior tanking Maharashtra government’s IAS officer stating “We prima facie find such comments to be contemptuous in nature. We direct the Additional Chief Secretary to remain present before this court on September 9 and show cause as to why contempt should not be initiated against him.”
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In the last hearing of the matter, the top court had asked the Maharashtra government to make a reasonable offer of compensation to the person who was illegally deprived of his land, failing which it would summon the presence of the Chief Secretary.
Evern today, when the lawyer appearing for the Maharashtra government sounded evasive to the queries from the court, the bench said that he wants that we should summon the Chief Secretary.
When the lawyer said that they were offering an alternate land within the limits of Pune Municipal Corporation, Justice Gavai remarked “You take some one’s land in Lutyens Delhi and offer him alternate land in Meerut.”
