An Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officer was today sentenced to 15 days in jail by the Delhi High Court which held him guilty of its contempt for using "scurrilous" terms against his women colleagues despite its warnings against doing so.
"I direct that respondent (S K Srivastava) be committed to civil prison to undergo simple imprisonment for a period of fifteen days. It is ordered accordingly. In addition, a fine of Rs 2000 is also imposed on him," Justice Rajiv Shakdher said.
The court held Srivastava guilty of its contempt for disobeying its various orders which had restrained him from using "sexually offensive and scurrilous" statements against his two women colleagues in the Income Tax Department.
Justice Shakdher, who kept his order at abeyance for two weeks to enable Srivastava to appeal against it, said, "I have not seen, in the demeanour of the respondent, any penitence or remorse. Therefore, the only conclusion that I can come to, is that, the respondent is guilty of wilfully and consciously violating the orders of the court given on March 1, September 29, 2011, as also order dated July 31, 2012."
The court's verdict came on the contempt plea of two women IT officials, who have not been named and referred to as Ms X and Y, that despite judicial orders, Srivastava has been using derogatory statements against them in his official and other communications.
"The fact that even thereafter the respondent filed a petition, in which offending statements were made against the petitioner, only goes to show that the respondent is unrepentant. To perhaps get around the strict letter of the law, the respondent had his wife Soni Srivastav address a communication to the Finance Minister, which as noticed by me above, contains the same set of offending remarks against the petitioners. This approach of the respondent clearly reveals, his skewed mind-set," it said.
Srivastava seemed to be aggrieved and perhaps held the women officers responsible for having him suspended from the service for a period of three years from 2007 to 2010 and nixing his chance of getting promoted to the post of Commissioner of Income tax, the court said.
The IRS officers in various communications used offending words against his colleagues forcing them to move the court.
"It is in this context that he has sent communications to the superior officers of the petitioners, time and again which are both uncivil and in poor taste, to say the least," the court noted in its 20-page judgement.
It appeared that the women officers had filed complaints with the IT Department, alleging sexual harassment by the respondent, it said adding that "perceptibly, no action was taken on their complaint."
"I may only note that in the writ petition, the respondent, once again, made averments to the effect that the petitioners were 'women of dubious repute and character' involved in illegal and unlawful activities, which were, offences, inter alia, under the Immoral Traffic Act," it said.
credits;http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=785953
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"I direct that respondent (S K Srivastava) be committed to civil prison to undergo simple imprisonment for a period of fifteen days. It is ordered accordingly. In addition, a fine of Rs 2000 is also imposed on him," Justice Rajiv Shakdher said.
The court held Srivastava guilty of its contempt for disobeying its various orders which had restrained him from using "sexually offensive and scurrilous" statements against his two women colleagues in the Income Tax Department.
Justice Shakdher, who kept his order at abeyance for two weeks to enable Srivastava to appeal against it, said, "I have not seen, in the demeanour of the respondent, any penitence or remorse. Therefore, the only conclusion that I can come to, is that, the respondent is guilty of wilfully and consciously violating the orders of the court given on March 1, September 29, 2011, as also order dated July 31, 2012."
The court's verdict came on the contempt plea of two women IT officials, who have not been named and referred to as Ms X and Y, that despite judicial orders, Srivastava has been using derogatory statements against them in his official and other communications.
"The fact that even thereafter the respondent filed a petition, in which offending statements were made against the petitioner, only goes to show that the respondent is unrepentant. To perhaps get around the strict letter of the law, the respondent had his wife Soni Srivastav address a communication to the Finance Minister, which as noticed by me above, contains the same set of offending remarks against the petitioners. This approach of the respondent clearly reveals, his skewed mind-set," it said.
Srivastava seemed to be aggrieved and perhaps held the women officers responsible for having him suspended from the service for a period of three years from 2007 to 2010 and nixing his chance of getting promoted to the post of Commissioner of Income tax, the court said.
The IRS officers in various communications used offending words against his colleagues forcing them to move the court.
"It is in this context that he has sent communications to the superior officers of the petitioners, time and again which are both uncivil and in poor taste, to say the least," the court noted in its 20-page judgement.
It appeared that the women officers had filed complaints with the IT Department, alleging sexual harassment by the respondent, it said adding that "perceptibly, no action was taken on their complaint."
"I may only note that in the writ petition, the respondent, once again, made averments to the effect that the petitioners were 'women of dubious repute and character' involved in illegal and unlawful activities, which were, offences, inter alia, under the Immoral Traffic Act," it said.
credits;http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=785953
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