HC raps govt for filing 'useless appeal'

On Monday, the High Court heard an appeal by the government challenging a single judge order which had directed the government to take action as per the rules in the NGEF case.

When NGEF liquidated in 2002, they offered the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to its employees.

About 2,715 sought retirement under VRS, but 119 did not accept the offer. These employees were retrenched in 2003. Four of them filed a petition in the High Court challenging the retrenchment and said they should be absorbed in public sector units, boards or corporations.

A single bench had ruled that the State Government could take a decision as per the rules. The government decided to appeal the judgment.

Annoyed at this, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice A S Bopanna have instructed the Chief Secretary to constitute a fact-finding committee to find out who advised the government to file an appeal.

The Bench instructed the Chief Secretary to recover the costs incurred to file an appeal from that person. The Court observed that the government could have just taken a decision instead of filing an appeal.

Sites for policemen

The High Court on Monday gave the government four weeks time to consider allocation of sites for police personnel who were part of the Special Task Force constituted to nab forest brigand Veerappan.

Govindappa and others had filed a contempt petition in the Court after the State Government had failed to act on a single judge bench order directing the government to allot them sites, in the cities they lived.

The Undersecretary of the Home Department had also appeared in Court on this matter last week.

The 45 petitioners have been directed to apply for sites in the next two weeks.