The Bombay High Court on Friday held former Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K P Bakshi guilty of contempt. It directed him to appear before it on December 23, when the court will pronounce the quantum of sentence.
The civil contempt against Bakshi pertains to promising the court procurement of decible meters but failing to do so. A division bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka said the Maharashtra government took the court "for a ride" on the issue of procuring of decibel meters to measure noise levels.
Bakshi had earlier filed an affidavit stating that procurement of decibel meters to measure noise levels would be completed by November. This was in response to the contempt petition issued in May against Bakshi for "wilful and deliberate" breach of court orders relating to procurement of 1,843 decibel meters.
The decibel meters were to be procured by the government and supplied to all police stations in the state so as to enable the police to measure noise decibel levels during festivals, processions and other events to ensure compliance of noise pollution rules and regulations.
Before issuance of contempt petition in May, the court was assured that the meters would be procured by March. Later, Bakshi had claimed in his affidavit that the company which was to supply the meters failed to do so. He submitted that a fresh schedule plan was made under which the meters would be procured by November end.
However, on Friday, the court learnt that even work orders had not been placed till date to procure the decibel meters.
The court was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations on the issue of violation of noise pollution rules during religious festivals and processions and inaction on the part of government and other authorities.
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