Cal HC’s rap on three railway officials over non-compliance – Times of India

Kolkata: In a first, Calcutta High Court has issued a rule against three railways officials directing them to show cause as to why they will not be guilty of contempt of court. The single bench of Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya issued the rule just before Pujas against one Railway Board and two RDSO (Research Design and Standard Organisation) officials following an appeal by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for railways which is called Multi Section Digital Axle Counter Maker (MSDAC). MSDAC is a vital railway safety component to avoid accidents. The component maker had earlier alleged that there has been over Rs. 1,100 crore annual loss to Indian Railways following the malpractices of these officials. Bhattacharya in her last order stated that the non-compliance issue has been continuing from May 18, 2023. The alleged contemnors have taken no steps to comply with the directions and have also been unsuccessful before the Division Bench. “This Court, hence, considers this to be a fit case for issuance of a rule against the alleged contemnors for their repeated, blatant, reckless disobedience and wilful violation of the judgment dated May 17, 2023. Let a rule accordingly be issued against the alleged contemnors and be made returnable on December 8, 2023,” the order says. In the last judgment of Bhattacharya in May it was stated that it may also be pertinent to mention that petitioner no. 1 (MSDAC manufacturer) sells its equipment directly to the railways for Rs. 3 lakh per unit while its competitors sell the same to traders who resell the equipment to the railways at Rs. 7 lakh a unit. “Hence it is resulting in an annual loss of approximately Rs.1100 crores to the railways for 30,000 units of MSDAC purchased by the railways every year. The inexplicable refusal of the respondents to inspect the petitioners’ products and in essence render them unviable without due cause, given that the petitioners’ products have passed the tests 69 times previously,” it added.
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