Senior IAS officer N. Ramesh Kumar on Wednesday filed a contempt petition in the High Court (HC) against the government for not restoring him as State Election Commissioner (SEC).
He argued that the government has violated the HC order dated May 29 wherein it declared that ordinance No.5 of 2020 through which the SEC’s tenure was cut short by two years resulting in his overnight removal, and the consequential GOs which brought in Madras High Court retired judge V. Kanagaraj as his replacement, were illegal.
The HC had directed the government that Mr. Ramesh Kumar be restored as the SEC.
Rare press meet
However, the controversy deepened as the Advocate-General said at a rare press conference that Mr. Ramesh Kumar’s act of self-restoration as the SEC was beyond the conceivable mandate of law. Subsequently, the government challenged the HC verdict in the Supreme Court, which refused to stay the HC order.
As there was no sign of the government implementing the HC order, Mr. Ramesh Kumar filed the contempt petition naming Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, Principal Secretary (Panchayat Raj & Rural Development) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi and State Election Commission Secretary Vani Mohan as the respondents. He prayed that the respondents be punished under the Contempt of Courts Act for wilfully violating the HC order in the writ petition no. 8163 and be directed to allow him to discharge his duties as the SEC as the local body election notification continued to be in force.
Mr. Ramesh Kumar contended that the actions of the respondents amounted to wanton and deliberate violation of the HC order, which was upheld by the apex court. Besides, he told the court that Mr. Kanagaraj was still being treated as the SEC in spite of the HC setting aside his appointment.
