Class-I Officer Appears Before Allahabad HC In Pink Shirt & Jeans; Goes Home With 5k Costs & An Adverse ACR Entry [Read Order]

The Allahabad High Court recently imposed personal costs of Rs. 5,000 on an Executive Engineer, Bandhi Prakhand, Varanasi for wearing “pink coloured half sleeves shirt and jeans” for the hearing.

The Bench comprising Justice B. Amit Sthalekar and Justice Jayant Banerji rapped the official for donning the attire, especially emphasising on him being a Class-I officer. It observed, “We wonder whether this is a normal dress code in the office of Executive Engineer or whether this is a permissible dress code in the offices of the State Government and that the officers can walk in their offices in their jeans. This is certainly not a dress code required for a Class-I officer when appearing before the Court and we expect the officer to know as to what dress code is required to be worn when he is appearing before the High Court.”

It then directed the amount to be deposited with the Registrar General of the Court within one month.

The Court was hearing a petition filed by one Ms. Nirmala Devi, claiming interest on the delayed payment of her late husband’s retiral dues from the State Irrigation and Water Resources Department. During a hearing on 8 August, the Court had demanded to know from Mr. Kushwaha as to why a counter affidavit had not been filed in the case till now. It had then summoned him before it for the purpose.

Thereafter, during the hearing last week, the Court deprecated Mr. Kushwaha’s conduct “in strictest terms” and directed an adverse entry to be made in his ACR. A copy of the order was directed to be placed before the Secretary, Irrigation Department, Lucknow to take appropriate action against him.

The Court then examined the counter affidavit filed by him in the case, and noted that while the petitioner’s husband did not appear before the authorities after constant reminders for a period of two years, the payments to him were delayed for a period of three years after he finally appeared before them.

The Court, therefore, allowed the petition, directing the Department to pay an interest of 6% per annum to Ms. Devi for the delayed payment of retiral dues of her late husband, within three months.

Read the Order Here