Hyderabad: The Telangana high court has warned the regional joint director of the collegiate education department with two months’ imprisonment and a ₹2,000 fine for wilfully disobeying court orders related to reinstatement and salary payment in a contempt case.Justice T Madhavi Devi, while hearing the contempt petition filed by K Srinivasa Rao, a junior assistant at the Govt Model Degree College, Kalwakurthy in Nagarkurnool district, granted the official a final two-week period to comply fully with the earlier directives.The court had earlier found that Rao was wrongfully terminated twice—in Aug and again in Oct 2022. Both dismissal orders were quashed, with the court directing his reinstatement and full salary disbursement for the period of his illegal termination, excluding his medical leave.However, officials initially marked the period as ‘on duty’ and later changed it to ‘dies-non’ (no work-no pay)—a move the court viewed as a deliberate attempt to bypass its ruling.Justice Madhavi Devi clarified that Rao’s absence was entirely due to unlawful termination, not voluntary leave, and ordered that all pending salary dues be settled accordingly.
