Telangana high court warns of summoning CS over 4-yr delay in implementing orders | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Taking exception to the state govt’s failure to implement its directions even after repeated orders over four years, Telangana high court has warned that it may summon the chief secretary on Nov 4 and initiate contempt proceedings if the pending issue relating to DSC-2002 Hindi Pandit Grade-II appointments is not resolved.A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice P Sam Koshy and Justice NV Shravan Kumar issued the warning on Monday while hearing a contempt case alleging non-compliance with court orders relating to the DSC-2002 Hindi Pandit Grade-II recruitment process in Nizamabad district.The dispute dates to a batch of writ petitions decided by the high court in July 2022. Candidates had complained that persons with lower marks were appointed while their claims were ignored. They contended that despite repeated representations and recommendations from district education authorities, the state govt had failed to take a final decision on their cases.The govt had challenged an order of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal that granted the candidates seniority benefits. While disposing of the matter, the high court directed the candidates to submit fresh representations within two weeks. It ordered district educational officers to examine their eligibility and forward proposals within three months, following which the government was required to take a decision within another three months.Alleging that the directions were not implemented, the candidates approached the court again. In Dec 2024, the high court directed the state govt to consider their cases and granted four weeks to comply with its earlier orders.With the matter still unresolved, the candidates filed a second contempt case in 2025.During Monday’s hearing, the bench expressed surprise that a final decision had still not been taken despite repeated judicial directions and the earlier appearance of Yogita Rana, principal secretary, school education department.The court observed that the chief secretary would have to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated for wilful non-compliance with its orders.The bench recalled that during the previous hearing on Sept 23, it had already expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which authorities were proceeding with implementation of its directions.Appearing before the court as directed, Yogita Rana filed an affidavit. However, the bench noted that it reflected only partial compliance, stating that approvals from her department and the finance department had been secured while clearance from the competent authority was still pending.When the court sought an explanation, the special govt pleader informed the bench that the files were pending at the level of the chief secretary.Recording Rana’s appearance, the bench noted that despite its earlier directions and the possibility of contempt charges, no final decision had been taken.Though unhappy with the continued delay, the court “reluctantly” granted a short adjournment at the request of the govt counsel to facilitate compliance. The matter was posted to Nov 4, with directions to Yogita Rana to appear before the court again on that date.