CHANDIGARH: The conviction of the Punjab Chief Secretary Ajit Singh Chatha by the Punjab and Haryana ‘High’ Court, last week, under the Contempt of Courts Act has sent shock waves within the bureaucracy and has put the Punjab Government in a bind.

This is the first time that the head of the administration has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment. “This leaves the State with a lame-duch administration. The judgment is an adverse reflection on the entire apparatus,” said a senior Secretary, who did not want to be identified. “Much will depend on the fate of the appeal which is expected to be filed soon, observed another officer.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 26, 1994