Plant 100 saplings, court tellsIndustries and Commerce Director

Planting of 100 saplings has been prescribed as punishment to the State Industries and Commerce Director for the non-compliance of a court order.

A Single Judge of the Kerala High Court issued the order on a petition filed by a Kollam-based chemical company.

Inordinate delay

The company, which was engaged in the manufacture and sale of carbonated silicate, had moved the court against the inordinate delay on the part of the State Level Committee for Sales Tax exemption to pass final orders on an appeal which was pending before it.

The court had passed an order in 2002 setting aside the order passed by the committee and directing it to consider the case afresh after considering the certificates produced by the company and fixing time limit for the disposal of the appeal. However, the committee failed to act, as ordered by the court, the petitioner submitted.

Peeved about the inaction, the company again approached the court.

When the case came up, the government pleader had submitted that the appeal was listed for hearing on March 17, 2005. Yet the committee did not dispose of the appeal filed by the company.

Later, when the petitioner again approached the court, the court passed a judgement on August 22, 2008 fixing fresh time limit for the disposal of the files. Even after the court order, the authorities did not act, submitted the petitioner.