Corporator, engineers convicted

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday convicted  Corporator of Ward 52 under Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Nrupesh Kumar Nayak along with executive engineer Tarakanta Mohapatra, assistant engineer Sk. Nasrulla, and junior engineer Satyasaibaba Subudhi for contempt of court.The division bench comprising Justices BP Das and SK Mishra sentenced the corporator to one month simple imprisonment and others to 15 days for intentionally bypassing the court’s order. The order was passed in the presence of the contemners and they were taken into judicial custody as soon as it was delivered. However, consequently upon a petition filed by the convicts with an appeal to suspend the sentence to enable them to file an appeal, the court passed another order suspending the execution of the punishment for 60 days and released them on furnishing a PR Bond of ` 50,000.The court’s action came in response to a writ petition filed by one Dipti Mitra, an 80-year-old woman of Bhubaneswar. The petitioner’s father-in-law had got the lease of a land in 1936 and the family had been staying there since.The petitioner alleged that during August 2010, the BMC staff arrived and put some mark over the plot of the petitioner. Apprehending some adverse action, the petitioner filed a Civil Suit in the court of Civil Judge Senior Division, Bhubaneswar, and also obtained an order of injunction. In spite of the injunction, the BMC demolished the boundary wall and started work on a road. At that stage the petitioner approached the High Court.  The court on October 6, 2010 passed an order prohibiting any construction. In blatant violation of the order, BMC officials with the help of the Corporator constructed the road. The court, after providing opportunity of showcause and hearing the parties, was of the view that the persons had violated the its order and their explanation was not satisfactory.