HP High Court Cracks Down on Encroachment Order Violation; Seizes Naib Tehsildar's Scorpio
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has taken strict action against Naib Tehsildar Suresh Kumar Negi of Rampur for disobeying court orders related to the removal of encroachments. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma ordered the seizure of the official’s Scorpio vehicle, including its keys, to be submitted before the Registrar General.
The court was informed that the vehicle had been allotted to the Naib Tehsildar under the Disaster Management Act. However, the bench directed that the vehicle now be used for disaster relief purposes and handed over to the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, Mandi. The court further ordered that the vehicle will remain impounded until full compliance with the court’s orders is ensured.
The matter pertains to the case Pushpanand vs. State of Himachal Pradesh, where the petitioner had sought the construction of an ambulance road from NH-5 to his residence. During the hearing, it was revealed that since April 8, 2025, authorities were given ample opportunity to act, but no effective steps were taken. Despite the court’s warning on September 1 that failure to comply would result in punishment, the eviction warrant was issued only on August 14, and the compliance date was pushed to November 30.
The bench observed that the authorities were not taking the court's directives seriously, leading to the current action.
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