Revenue dept moves HC against order reinstating ‘tainted’ official

The department challenged the Tuesday order of CAT’s Calcutta bench saying the verdict was passed without hearing the government counsel. The matter is slated to be heard on Friday, the officials said.

The revenue department has moved the Calcutta High Court against a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order reinstating a senior official of commissioner rank recently forced to retire over corruption allegations, two officials said requesting anonymity.

The CAT’s Calcutta bench on June 25 ordered the revenue department to allow G Shree Harsha to continue in his post. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The department challenged the Tuesday order of CAT’s Calcutta bench saying the verdict was passed without hearing the government counsel. The matter is slated to be heard on Friday, the officials said.

In a letter to the revenue department, the government’s senior standing counsel, A Roy, said he was not present in the courtroom on Tuesday when the matter was heard. “I, being a Senior Standing Counsel, never appeared in this matter, then the observation of the learned court at Para 9 of the Order are incorrect,” said the letter. HT has seen a copy of the letter.

The para 9 of the judgement said: “Learned counsel for the Respondents while praying for time to obtain instruction and file reply has opposed the prayer for granting interim relief.” According to the judgement, a “proxy” counsel for Roy was present.

Calcutta CAT bench member A K Patnaik was separately transferred to Hyderabad on Wednesday. Patnaik declined to comment on the transfer.

The CAT’s Calcutta bench on June 25 ordered the revenue department to allow G Shree Harsha to continue in his post. “It would be highly improper to keep the applicant out of his employment to earn his livelihood merely on the basis of his involvement in a criminal case which is yet to reach its finality,” it said.