New Delhi— In a strong message against the misuse of administrative power and defiance of court orders, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Andhra Pradesh government to demote a Deputy Collector to the rank of Tehsildar for ordering the demolition of hutments in Guntur district in January 2014, in violation of a High Court stay order, reported the Verdictum.
A bench comprising Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih observed that disobedience of judicial directives strikes at the core of the rule of law. “Every authority, howsoever high, is bound to respect and comply with court orders,” the bench asserted. “A disobedience of the orders passed by the court attacks the very foundation of rule of law on which our democracy is based.”
The officer, who was then serving as a Tehsildar, was found guilty of “deliberate and utter disobedience” for proceeding with the forced eviction and demolition of houses despite a December 11, 2013 High Court order restraining such action. He was later promoted to Deputy Collector in 2023.
The High Court had previously sentenced him to two months’ imprisonment for contempt, which the Supreme Court modified. Showing leniency while still emphasizing accountability, the Apex Court ruled, “We further modify the sentence, and the petitioner is sentenced to reduction of one level in the hierarchy of his service.” The officer was also ordered to pay a fine of ₹1 lakh.
“The message must go across the country that no one is above the law, and courts will not tolerate disobedience,” Justice Gavai noted.
Earlier, the court had asked the officer if he was willing to accept a demotion, to which his counsel replied that the officer “will go down to any punishment.”
The case marks a landmark rebuke of what many have begun to describe as “bulldozer justice” — the use of administrative machinery to demolish homes without due process. The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for officials who bypass legal norms under the guise of executive authority.
