HC fines Sahibganj Additional Collector for violating order in ferry ghat auction case

Ranchi: The High Court has imposed a fine of two thousand rupees on Sahibganj Additional Collector Gautam Bhagat for violating the court’s order regarding the auction of ferry ghats. The court has also directed that an entry about this contempt be made in his service record and ordered departmental proceedings against him.

The issue arose when Ankush Rajhans challenged the terms of the tender issued by the Sahibganj district administration for auctioning the ferry ghat, arguing that instead of mentioning the name of the ghat, the tender referred to the district name. After hearing the petition, a bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Deepak Roshan ordered the tender to be issued with specific mention of the ferry ghat’s name.

Following this directive, the district administration issued a tender for the ferry service from Garam Ghat to Manihari Ghat. This was again challenged in court on the grounds that Garam Ghat is not a notified ghat and hence should not be included in the tender.

On January 15, the High Court stayed the tender and scheduled further hearings in March. However, despite the court’s order, the Sahibganj administration went ahead and issued the tender involving a non-notified ghat. Ankush Rajhans filed an intervention application informing the court about this violation.

Considering the facts mentioned in the application, the court took suo-motu cognizance and initiated contempt proceedings against the Additional Collector for disobeying the court’s orders.

After the hearing on June 11, the court found the Additional Collector guilty of contempt and imposed a fine of two thousand rupees. It also ordered the entry of this contempt case in his service record and directed that departmental action be taken against him.