Contempt case: Telangana HC directs Excise DC to feed 20 `namazees' during Ramzan

A Single Judge Bench of the High Court while passing the order dropped the contempt charges against Syed Yasin Qureshi, Deputy Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise department, Mahabubnagar. Earlier, the court found him guilty of non-compliance.

The court found fault with Syed Yasin Qureshi for detaining a lorry in an unlawful manner and not releasing it on time even after an order from the court. The Single Judge then imposed a Rs 1,000 fine on the officer and directed that the amount has to be deducted from his salary.

The officer later filed an appeal before the court praying for reviewing the decision of imposing a fine and deducting from his salary. He informed the court that deducting the fine amount from his salary would leave a bad mark on his career.

Considering his appeal, the court gave directions to serve food to 20 people at any masjid for one week during Ramzan.

The case:

Lorry owner J Ramesh approached the high court stating that the Prohibition and Excise officials seized his truck carrying jaggery claiming that he was transporting it for illicit liquor manufacture. Taking into consideration that there was no prohibition on transportation of jaggery, which is a common edible item and the officials had seized the material only on the suspicion that it was for manufacturing illicit liquor, the court directed to release the seized vehicle. It also directed the petitioner to submit an undertaking.

However, even after the order, the officials delayed the release for five months prompting Ramesh to approach the court again. The court, not satisfied with the explanation of the Deputy Commissioner that the lorry owner did not submit an undertaking, imposed the fine on him.