Shimla: Beating a hasty retreat before the courts, the state government cleared all names for prosecution sanction that were pending before it barring four, top government officials did let the High Court know on 14th December.
In response to court directions on 6th December from the division bench of Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rajiv Sharma, principal secretary (Home and Vigilance) under oath submitted before the court that in a meeting chaired by chief secretary Sudripta Roy on 12th December, all the cases awaiting prosecution sanction, barring four of them, had been cleared. 
In the remaining four cases also the process would be completed within 15 days. The next review meeting is also to be held within two weeks, the official let the court know.
Issuing stern directions the judges cautioned that should the duty holders not complete the process regarding the request for sanction of prosecution within three months, they would be held liable and answerable to the charge of abiding the delay in prosecution.
In that event needless to say that the officers would be personally responsible for all the consequences, apart from contempt proceedings, the judges held out.
In the last hearing, the judges had directed the chief secretary to file a report whether there was any case pending before the government that was awaiting prosecution sanction for more than three months.
In another case also it was at the behest of that files for prosecution sanction of some senior IAS officers accused in corruption cases, some of which were on the back burner since 2005, got moving.
Only last week, an offended court had decreed stopping the salary of principal secretary health for contempt of court for not implementing an order that had been passed by the High Court last year.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
