Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: A division bench of the Gauhati High Court has imposed cost amounting to Rs 7,000 to be deducted from the salary of officer(s) responsible for delaying the process of the court in a PIL relating to ‘illegal, unscientific and unregulated extraction of stones from Jatinga River’. The bench has further warned that ‘in case needful is not done by the next date of listing, the Court would be constrained on imposing cost in the sum of Rs 25,000’.
In its earlier hearing on the PIL (5/2020) on January 10, 2020 the bench directed the respondents to ‘file specific affidavit as to whether scientific study was conducted before issuing auction notice for removal of stones from the river-bed’.
The bench issued such a directive as ‘affidavits in deference to the order above exacted have not been filed, and DFO, Cachar (respondent number 3) was required to file reply in regard to the fact situation in context of the issue raised. “Mr A. Das, Advocate has appeared to say that he does not have a copy of the petition. Such lame excuses cannot be accepted on behalf of the State. We deem it just and proper to impose cost in the sum of Rs 7,000 to be deducted from the salary of the officer(s) who is found responsible in causing delay in process of the Court to be deposited with the Assam State Legal Services Authority.”
The PIL will be heard on February 27, 2020.