The Madras High Court has suspended the one-month imprisonment sentence imposed on IAS officer Anshul Mishra in a civil contempt case. The officer was earlier found guilty for not complying with a court directive issued in a land reconveyance matter. The division bench of Justice MS Ramesh and Justice V Lakshminarayanan passed the suspension order while hearing an appeal filed by Mishra against the conviction and sentence handed down by a single judge.
The sentence is suspended, the division bench stated, giving the officer relief and an opportunity to pursue his appeal.
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Previously, on April 28, 2025, Justice P Velmurugan held Anshul Mishra guilty under Section 2(b) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. The judge sentenced the officer to one month of imprisonment and directed that ₹25,000 be paid as compensation to the petitioners. This amount was to be recovered from Mishra’s personal salary, and the government was asked to deduct it accordingly. However, the sentence was kept in suspension, allowing Mishra to appeal the order.
The contempt proceedings stemmed from a petition filed by two elderly siblings who claimed that the IAS officer had failed to implement a previous court order. The order had directed him to consider their representation regarding the reconveyance of their property. The land in question had originally been acquired for a road project but was never put to use.
“The officer was expected to provide a personal hearing to the petitioners’ representative or advocate and pass suitable orders, as directed earlier by the court,” the petitioners argued.
According to the petitioners, the writ court had issued the directive in November 2023. They claimed that the order was duly communicated and even followed by a reminder in May 2024. Later, a legal notice was sent in June 2024, which was acknowledged. Despite these efforts, there was no compliance with the court’s order, forcing them to file a contempt petition.
In response, IAS officer Anshul Mishra denied any willful defiance. He attributed the delay to administrative changes within the concerned department, arguing that the non-compliance was not intentional.
However, the single judge found this explanation unsatisfactory. The court noted that the officer had not made any effort to act on the petitioners’ representation, nor had he communicated any response.
The disobedience was willful and wanton, the court observed.
It further held that as a public servant, the officer was bound by a duty to carry out court directions. The court emphasized that once a statutory obligation is placed on a public officer, it must be fulfilled diligently. In this case, despite receiving a statutory notice, the officer had failed to take meaningful steps to rectify the lapse.
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“Being a public servant entrusted with a serious responsibility, the officer cannot afford to ignore lawful directions of the court,” the judge had stated in the original contempt order.
Following the appeal, the division bench has now suspended the sentence, thereby allowing the officer time to contest the finding of guilt and penalty. The case will now proceed as per the appellate process.
Case Title: Anshul Mishra IAS v R Lalithambal and another
Case No: Cont A 27 of 2025
