The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to implement a 2012 order of the Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal within one week, emphasizing that compliance with court orders is an integral part of justice administration.
Background:
The petitioners had filed a writ petition seeking implementation of an order dated 01.08.2012 passed by the Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal in O.A. No. 6147 of 2012. The Tribunal had directed the state to treat the petitioners’ temporary service period as qualifying service for pension calculation and granting of automatic advancement scales.
Key Legal Issues:
1. Implementation of Tribunal’s order after dismissal of state’s appeal
2. Delay in approaching the court for implementation
3. State’s obligation to comply with court orders
Court’s Decision:
The High Court allowed the writ petition, directing the state government to implement the Tribunal’s order within one week. The court rejected the state’s argument of delay, noting that the Supreme Court had dismissed the state’s appeal only in November 2022.
Important Observations:
The court emphasized the importance of compliance with judicial orders, stating:
“In a Welfare State and the Country governed by rule of law, the respondents-State authorities must have by now implemented the order, after dismissal of the S.L.P by the Hon’ble Apex Court, as these petitioners were also granted the same benefit of the order of the Tribunal, which has, attained finality. The compliance of the Court’s orders and directions is imperative, else, it would have the tendency of shaking the confidence of public in the administration of justice.”
The court further observed:
“Long inaction towards compliance of the Court’s orders and directions, tantamount to, obstruct the course of justice inasmuch as the compliance of the Court’s order has to be viewed as an integral part of dispensation of justice and administration of justice.”
Quoting Supreme Court judgments, the High Court emphasized that disobedience of court orders strikes at the root of the rule of law and can lead to a breakdown of constitutional functioning.
The court directed the state to file a compliance report by July 25, 2024, and posted the matter for that date to review the implementation.
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Case Details:
– Writ Petition No. 14253/2024
– Bench: Justice Ravi Nath Tilhari and Justice Nyapathy Vijay
– Petitioners: S. Madhusudana Raju and Others
– Respondents: The State of Andhra Pradesh and Others
– Petitioners’ Counsel: Nuthalapati Krishna Murthy
– Respondents’ Counsel: T. Vishnu Teja (Special Government Pleader)
