HC directs Collector to appear on October 29 in contempt plea

The Madras High Court has directed Coimbatore District Collector Archana Patnaick to appear before it on October 29 in connection with a contempt plea.
The petitioner, B Kannabiran of Udhagamandalam, president of the Nilgiris Ecological and Animal protection Samithi, Pykara, had earlier filed a plea to restrain S N Deveraj of Essenn Lodge from putting up any construction in Doddabetta panchayat.
A single judge in 2011 had directed Archana Patnaik, who was then Nilgiris Collector, to make a spot inspection and to stop construction if it was found illegal.
As she did not take any action, Kannabiran filed the contempt petition last year. Archana Patnaick filed an affidavit admitting that construction was being carried out against regulation and permission was granted wrongly.

She also said that she was proposing disciplinary action against the erring official who granted permission and submitted to the court that stop work notice was issued to the person concerned.
On an interim order by the court on the contempt petition, she also sought time of three months to proceed legally as per state Panchayat Building rules before ordering the demolition of the building on December 5 last.
But as no further proceedings were adopted by her, the First Bench comprising Chief Justice R K Agrawal and Justice M Sathyanarayanan directed the collector to appear before it on Tuesday.