Nagapuri Prakash Vs Sri Sandeep Kumar Sultania, I.A.S — Contempt of Court | Telangana HC (2025)

Nagapuri Prakash Vs Sri Sandeep Kumar Sultania, I.A.S — Contempt of Court | Telangana HC (2025)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

All eleven contempt cases (CC Nos.450, 289, 476, 526, 527, 576, 579, 580, 582, 585 and 697 of 2025) closed upon recorded compliance (payment bills raised and tokens issued); pending miscellaneous applications stand closed; no order as to costs. The Special Government Pleader submitted that, tokens having been issued, the amounts would be credited within ten days from the date of receipt of a copy of the order; petitioners' counsel sought liberty to avail remedies under law if the amounts were not deposited.

Issue for consideration

Whether the State respondents committed wilful and deliberate disobedience of the Court's orders in the eleven writ petitions directing payment to the petitioners for supply of fish seed/prawn juveniles for FY 2023-24, and whether compliance has since been effected so that the contempt cases can be disposed of.

Court's answer

On the hearing date the learned Special Government Pleader placed on record the written instructions of the Director of Fisheries showing administrative sanction (G.O.Rt.No.50 dated 29.07.2025 for Rs.26,97,71,000/-), instructions (Memo dated 12.08.2025), bills raised in IFMIS and issuance of payment tokens; recording the submissions of the petitioners' counsel and the Special Government Pleader, the Court closed all eleven contempt cases.

Ratio / Principle

As part of the disposal, pending miscellaneous applications, if any, were directed to stand closed and no order as to costs was made.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

COMMON ORDER (High Court for the State of Telangana at Hyderabad, N.V. Shravan Kumar J., 13-08-2025): Contempt Case Nos. 450, 289, 476, 526, 527, 576, 579, 580, 582, 585 and 697 of 2025, filed under Sections 10-12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 by fish seed farms, suppliers, traders and contractors alleging wilful and deliberate disobedience of writ-court orders dated 27-12-2024 to 10-01-2025 (in W.P.Nos.36559, 33772, 37166, 37145 of 2024 and 890, 1099, 1290, 1180, 1087, 1280, 535 of 2025) directing payment for fish seed and prawn juveniles supplied in FY 2023-24. On the hearing date the learned Special Government Pleader (Sri Swaroop Oorilla) filed the Director of Fisheries' written instructions showing: Administrative Sanction G.O.Rt.No.50, A.H., D.D. & F Dept., dt.29.07.2025 for Rs.26,97,71,000/- (BE provision 2025-26); instructions vide Memo No.1178/F/A2/2023 dt.12.08.2025; bills raised in IFMIS (T.B.R.Nos.20250000001166 & 20250000001165); and Tokens Nos.2601061494 & 2607061483 for Rs.4,65,30,872/- and Rs.22,31,36,348/-, with the amounts stated to be credited within ten days of receipt of the order copy. Recording the submissions of both sides — petitioners' counsel seeking liberty to avail remedies under law if the amounts were not deposited — the Court closed the contempt cases, directed pending miscellaneous applications to stand closed and made no order as to costs.

Parties & counsel

AI extract

petitioner
M/s. Spoorthy Fish Seeds, rep. by its Managing Partner Sri Katla Sadanandam (Petitioner in CC No.450 of 2025)¶¶9
Mr. Akkam Eshwar
petitioner
Kantheti Sai; Jagula Ganesh; P.N.V.S.S. Raj Kumar (Proprietors of fish seed farms; Petitioners in CC No.289 of 2025)¶¶19
Sri M. Vidyavathi
petitioner
Abhay Fish Traders & seed Suppliers, rep. by its proprietor Gangadhara Kankaiah (Petitioner in CC No.476 of 2025)¶¶36
M/s. Ponnam Mahesh Babu
petitioner
Gadipalli Rajitha Fish Seed Farm, rep. by its Proprietor Smt. Gadipalli Rajitha (Petitioner in CC No.526 of 2025)¶¶46
M/s. D.L. Pandu
petitioner
Nagapuri Prakash; D. Shiva Kumar; Puli Rajender Goud; D. Krishna Prasad (Fish Contractors; Petitioners in CC No.527 of 2025)¶¶56
M/s. D.L. Pandu
petitioner
Sree Mathsya Fisheries Farm; Sri Adhivinayaka Fish Seed Farm; Sri Vinayaka Fish Seed Suppliers; Durga Fish Seed Farm; Kolan Bheemraj (Petitioners in CC No.576 of 2025)¶¶69
M/s. D.L. Pandu
petitioner
Hamsini Fish Seed Farm, rep. by its Proprietor Mathi Gopikrishna (Petitioner in CC No.579 of 2025)¶¶86
M/s. D.L. Pandu
petitioner
M/s Neelima Fish Seed Farm, rep. by its proprietor T. Sulil Kumar (Petitioner in CC No.580 of 2025)¶¶100
M/s. D.L. Pandu
petitioner
K.S. Fish Farm; Jala Pushpa Fish Seed Hatching Company (Petitioners in CC No.582 of 2025)¶¶114
M/s. D.L. Pandu
petitioner
Durga Fish Seed Farm; N. Kharan Chand Fish Seed Farms; Rudhraraju Jagadeesh Varma Fish Seed Suppliers; N. Srinivasa Rao Fish Seed Farm; N. Murali Krishna Fish Seed Farm; Sri Vijay All In One Fish Seeds Farm; Sri Manikanta Fish Seed Farm; Geeta Mahalaxmi Fish Seed Farm (Petitioners in CC No.585 of 2025)¶¶129
M/s. D.L. Pandu
petitioner
Putta Fish Seed Farm; Srikanth Fish Seed Farm (Petitioners in CC No.697 of 2025)¶¶149
M/s. D.L. Pandu
respondent
Sri Sandeep Kumar Sultania, I.A.S., Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Secretariat, Hyderabad (Respondent/Contemnor in CC Nos.450, 476, 526, 527; Respondent No.2 in the multi-respondent contempt cases)¶¶12
GP FOR FINANCE PLANNING, GP FOR FINANCE, Sri Swaroop Oorilla
respondent
Shri Sabyasachi Ghosh (Sabya Sachi Ghose), I.A.S., Principal/Special Chief Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Department (Respondent No.1 in CC Nos.289, 576, 579, 580, 582, 585, 697 of 2025)¶¶24
ADDL ADVOCATE GENERAL, Sri Swaroop Oorilla
respondent
The District Fisheries Officer, Mulugu District (Respondent No.3 in CC No.289 of 2025; suo motu impleaded by Court order dated 06.03.2025)¶¶26
GP FOR FISHERIES
respondent
Smt. Priyanka Ala, I.A.S., Commissioner of Fisheries, Telangana State (Respondent No.3 in CC Nos.576, 579, 580, 582, 585, 697 of 2025)¶¶77
ADDL ADVOCATE GENERAL
respondent
Sri T. Srinivas, Deputy Director of Fisheries (Inlands), O/o Commissioner of Fisheries, Hyderabad (Respondent No.4 in CC Nos.576, 579, 580, 582, 585, 697 of 2025)¶¶78
ADDL ADVOCATE GENERAL
respondent
Sri Adarsh Surabhi, I.A.S., District Collector, Wanaparthy District (Respondent No.5 in CC No.697 of 2025)¶¶157
GP FOR REVENUE
respondent
Sri Badavath Santosh, I.A.S., District Collector, Nagarkurnool (Respondent No.6 in CC No.697 of 2025)¶¶158
GP FOR REVENUE

Coram

AI extract

Justice N.V. Shravan Kumarauthor¶¶5