Indore News: IAS Tarun Rathi, Retired IAS Mohammad Suleman Among Four To Get Two-Month Jail For Contempt Of Court

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has held three senior health officials and one retired IAS officer guilty of contempt for wilfully disobeying its orders in a long-pending service matter, sentencing them to two months of simple imprisonment while granting a temporary reprieve of three weeks.

The officials found guilty include IAS Tarun Rathi, retired IAS Mohammad Suleman, Ujjain division Joint Director (Health) Dr DK Tiwari and Mandsaur CMHO Dr Govind Chouhan.

The order was passed by Justice Pranay Verma while hearing a batch of connected contempt petitions, including the lead case filed by Ashok Kumar Padeyar.

The petitions alleged non-compliance with a December 6, 2023 order in a writ petition, in which the court had directed authorities to grant regularisation benefits to the petitioner from 2004 to April 7, 2016, along with all consequential benefits within three months.

Despite repeated directions, warnings and opportunities over nearly two years, the respondents failed to fully implement the order. The court noted that officials repeatedly sought time on various grounds, including filing appeals, but did not demonstrate any genuine intent to comply.

Justice Verma observed that the conduct of the officials showed a clear pattern of wilful and deliberate disobedience, adding that they had attempted to mislead the court and delay compliance through all possible tactics.

During the latest hearing, the respondents submitted a compliance report stating that an order for regularisation had finally been issued on March 12, 2026. However, the court found this insufficient, as the original direction for compliance was February 6, 2026.

22 hearings, yet no full compliance

Highlighting the delay, the court pointed out that the matter had been listed 22 times, yet the order remained unimplemented in full. It rejected the respondents plea for more time, citing its earlier warning that failure to comply would automatically result in contempt.