Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 11: The state high court, on Thursday March 10, took sub-divisional officer of Ramanagara, C Manjunath, seriously to task. He has been charged with providing false information to the high court (HC) in the Agrigold scam case. After the official tendered an unconditional apology for his behaviour, the high court chose not to act against him, but warned him not to commit such mistakes in future.

A public interest petition filed by Mangalore-based Agrigold Consumers and Agents Welfare Union came for hearing before a division bench of the HC comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice S R Krishnakumar on Thursday. As per the orders of the HC, the said official was personally present. The government advocate, arguing on behalf of the official, said that there was mistake in providing correct information due to lack of communication. He also said that the official had filed an affidavit on March 5 seeking unconditional apology. The chief justice said that an apology cannot set right everything and warned to hold the official responsible for misleading the court through false information. He also said that the official can be sent to jail for contempt of court. He also said that the official might lose his job. He reminded the official that he had provided wrong information that an application has been moved in the Supreme Court and the same is pending hearing there, and the same information was given four times.

The government advocate said that the official did not mean to provide wrong information to the court and said that he will take care not to repeat the mistake. At the end, the court recorded the official's affidavit, said that no disciplinary action is being initiated at present, and allowed him to go Scot free. The hearing was posted to June.