The chief of the Border Roads Organisation and his predecessor have been convicted for contempt of court and sent to prison for 15 days.
The chief of the Border Roads Organisation and his predecessor have been convicted for contempt of court and sent to prison for 15 days.
The Gauhati high court’s order convicting a serving lieutenant general and a retired lieutenant general, besides a brigadier, is the latest twist in the ongoing clash between civilian officials and military officers working in the BRO, which oversees crucial projects not only in India, but also abroad.
The court on January 30 issued the order, observing the “contempt is of a nature substantially interfering with the due course of justice”. “...their recusant demeanour is both unacceptable as well as reproachable,” the court said, pointing out that a simple fine was not enough and that they needed to be sent to jail.
The convicted are: Lt Gen Arun Kumar Nanda, director-general, BRO; Lt Gen (retd) KS Rao, Lt Gen Nanda’s predecessor; and Brig V Rajagopal, a former chief engineer with BRO. They have also been fined Rs2,000 each.
The court order is the latest twist in the standoff between the BRO’s civilian officials and military officers. The civilians have for long complained that they are commanded by military officers junior to them.
The order came on a case moved by a civilian officer, Sheo Balak Singh, superintending engineer (civil), seeking parity of status. On February 12, 2007, the ministry of defence had issued an order declaring equivalence between a superintending engineer (functional scale) and a colonel of the Indian army. The court observed that the military officers demonstrated wilful and deliberate disobedience of the government order.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}