Minister slapped with contempt of court for writing to CJ

Minister slapped with contempt of court for writing to CJ
MANOJ PRASAD

RANCHI, FEB 15: No minister of the state government can write to the Chief Justice (CJ) of the High Court, requesting him for verdict in a pending case. And if he does, he can be slapped with the contempt of court.

This is exactly what happened to the state Energy Minister LalchandMahato. He is facing contempt of court because he sent a letter to Jharkhand Chief Justice V.K. Gupta, stating that there was a pendingcase between the Ranchi-based private company Usha Beltron and the BiharState Electricity Board which was blocking precious revenue of the government.

``The new state of Jharkhand is experiencing difficulty in realising theamount. (Kindly) inquire into the matter.. for proper decision at an earlydate,'' wrote the Minister.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Gupta and Justice A.K. Prasadtook suo-motu note of his letter as `interference' in the judicialsystem and ordered issuance of notice directing Mahato to be physicallypresent in the court on February 22 to explain as to ``why he not be punishedfor the contempt of court.''