Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 17: The Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to consider scheduling an urgent hearing in the pending contempt petition against the Jharkhand government and DGP Neeraj Sinha, that alleges he has been occupying the post even after superannuation on January 31.
Senior attorney Siddharth Luthra informed a bench led by Chief Justice N V Ramana that the matter, which was ordered to be listed in September last year, was yet to be heard.
The bench which also comprised justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli said, “Get me the bundle. We will see.”
The contempt complaint, which was previously scheduled for urgent hearings on February 3 and 9, argues that the current Jharkhand director general of police (DGP), Sinha, has continued to occupy the position despite his retirement on January 31.
The Supreme Court had issued notifications on the contempt plea against the state government, its senior officials, and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on July 14, last year, alleging that the verdict had been violated. It eventually added DGP Sinha to the plea as a party.
Meanwhile, contempt petitioner Rajesh Kumar has requested for expedited hearing of the matter, claiming that it has remained unlisted since September 3 last year.
Notably, the state government and the UPSC were chastised by the Supreme Court on September 3 last year for their roles in the appointment of an interim DGP in alleged violation of the top court’s judgement, which mandated a two-year term for a state police chief chosen from a list of senior police officers prepared by the UPSC.
