Ranchi: The Supreme Court has stayed the sentencing of two Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers from Jharkhand who were earlier found guilty of contempt by the High Court in connection with a disputed forest land case. The court has also ordered that the status quo be maintained on the controversial land in Bokaro’s Tetulia area and scheduled the next hearing in the matter six weeks from now.
The Jharkhand government had challenged the High Court’s ruling that held DFO Rajneesh Kumar and RCCF D. Venkateshwarlu guilty of contempt. The matter was heard on Friday by a bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh.
After the hearing, the apex court stayed any sentencing proceedings against the two IFS officers by the High Court. Additionally, it ordered that the current state of the 74.38- acre disputed land in Tetulia, Bokaro, be maintained until further notice. The court also directed that competent authorities must submit all relevant documentation concerning the forest status of the land during the next hearing.
This is reportedly the first time that two IFS officers in the state have been held guilty of contempt. The case stems from a petition filed by Umayush Multicom, which had received a favorable ruling from the High Court regarding land ownership. However, DFO Rajneesh Kumar later issued an order halting work on the land, which led Umayush to file a contempt petition. During the hearing, the High Court had directed the DFO to withdraw his order. Rajneesh Kumar, citing a letter issued by the RCCF, submitted an affidavit expressing his inability to do so. As a result, the court added RCCF Venkateshwarlu as a co-respondent in the contempt case. After completing the hearing, the High Court declared both officers guilty of contempt but deferred sentencing by eight weeks.
Following this, the Jharkhand government approached the Supreme Court, which has now provided interim relief to the officers while the matter remains under judicial review.