Rajasthan HC Stays Jail Term for Senior IAS Officers Over Non-Payment Cases

Jaipur — The Rajasthan High Court on Monday granted relief to two senior IAS officers by staying a commercial court’s order that sentenced them to three months of civil imprisonment. The officers — Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of Public Works Department (PWD) Praveen Gupta and ACS of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Bhaskar A Sawant — were penalized for their departments’ failure to make payments to companies despite court orders.

The single-judge bench also halted any further action by the commercial court. Advocate General Rajendra Prasad, representing the officers, argued that the payment process was underway and termed the commercial court’s decision as “arbitrary.”

The case involving Gupta stemmed from a 2020-21 road construction project by Nagaur Mukundgarh Highway Pvt Ltd, which was promised a bonus for early completion. Despite an arbitrator’s ruling in the company’s favor and unsuccessful appeals by the PWD in higher courts, the payment remained pending.

In Sawant’s case, the PHED failed to pay around ₹31 crore for a pipeline project, leading to similar legal consequences.

The high court’s intervention has provided temporary relief to the officers, with further hearings expected soon.