Ranchi: The High Court has imposed a fine of ₹2,000 on Sahibganj Additional Collector Gautam Bhagat for violating its order in a case related to the auction of ferry ghats. The court has also directed that a note of this contempt be added to his service record and that departmental proceedings be initiated against him.
The matter arose when Ankush Rajhans challenged the tender floated by the Sahibganj district administration for auctioning ferry ghats. He argued that instead of naming the specific ferry ghat, the tender merely mentioned the district name, which could lead to confusion and misuse.
After hearing the plea, a bench consisting of Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Deepak Roshan instructed the district administration to reissue the tender with the exact name of the ferry ghat.
In response, the administration released a fresh tender for the ferry route between Garam Ghat and Manihari Ghat. However, this was again challenged in court, with the petitioner arguing that Garam Ghat is not a notified ferry point and thus should not have been included.
On January 15, the High Court stayed the tender process and scheduled further hearings for March. Despite this clear stay order, the Sahibganj administration proceeded with the tender for the non-notified ghat. Following this, Ankush Rajhans submitted an intervention application alerting the court to the violation.
Taking cognizance of the matter, the High Court initiated suo-motu contempt proceedings against the Additional Collector for disobeying its directive.
During the hearing on June 11, the court found him guilty of contempt, imposed a fine of ₹2,000, and ordered that the violation be recorded in his official service history. It also directed the initiation of departmental action against him.