Patna HC Imposes RS 20K Fine on Bihar Education Department's Additional Chief Secy

The Patna High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on K.K. Pathak, the additional chief secretary of the education department, in a case of contempt of court.

The matter was related to the recruitment of contractual teachers in the state. The case was filed by a job aspirant, Sangeeta Kumari, and the high court gave the decision on September 9.

Kundan Kumar, the lawyer of the petitioner, claimed that the education department had been partial during the recruitment of contractual teachers. As a result, his candidate was not selected for the job.

"After that recruitment in 2020, the education department had not taken any decision on further recruitment of contractual teachers. When the petitioner filed a case in the high court, it had directed the education department to file the reply within two months. The education department failed to reply on it,” Kumar said.

“As a result, the double bench of Justice P.B. Bajanthri and Justice Arun Kumar Jha believed that it is a case of contempt and hence imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the additional chief secretary of the education department,” Kumar said.