In a sharp rebuke, the Madras High Court questioned whether IAS officers consider themselves above the judiciary, expressing deep frustration over GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran’s conduct in a contempt matter. “Should we show the power of the courts?” asked the visibly agitated first bench of Chief Justice K R Shriram and Justice Sundar Mohan on Wednesday.
The court was hearing a petition alleging the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) failed to act on an April 2022 court order to remove illegal constructions in zone five. Advocate N Rukmanganthan, who filed the contempt plea, argued that the civic body deliberately ignored judicial directives.
On July 8, the court imposed a ₹1 lakh cost on the commissioner for seeking repeated adjournments instead of explaining the non-compliance. The bench had ordered the amount be deducted from his salary and paid to the Indian Cancer Society, Mumbai.
During the latest hearing, Additional Advocate-General J Ravindran tried to shield the commissioner, stating that the error lay with law officers who filed a flawed affidavit. But the bench was unmoved. “Even if true, he should have read the affidavit before signing. If not, he’s unfit to be an IAS officer,” the court retorted.
The judges observed that GCC’s reluctance to act against encroachers appeared intentional, accusing the commissioner of withholding details about actions taken. Despite promises to share records, the corporation failed to do so, prompting the court’s penalty.
The petition will be heard again on Thursday.