Municipal Neglect Penalized: Punjab & Haryana HC Imposes Personal Cost on Officer for Failing to Repair Manholes
Case Name: Sher Singh v. State of Punjab through its Principal Secretary & Others
Citation: CWP-PIL-132-2025
Date of Judgment: 19 September 2025
Bench: Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry
Held: The Punjab & Haryana High Court held that dereliction of municipal duties in maintaining and repairing manhole covers, despite repeated litigation, warranted judicial intervention and personal accountability of officials. While contempt proceedings were dropped upon subsequent compliance, the Court imposed personal costs on the Executive Officer for his inaction and made the penalty part of his service record.
Summary: The petitioner approached the Court highlighting failure of the Municipal Council, Naya Gaon, District SAS Nagar, to repair or replace broken manhole covers. Despite three rounds of litigation, no remedial steps were taken. On 10.09.2025, the Court issued a show cause notice to the Executive Officer, Ravneet Singh, to explain why contempt action should not follow.
In response, the officer filed an affidavit showing that manholes had since been repaired or replaced, and tenders issued for street construction with tiles from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk towards Forest Hill. The petitioner’s counsel did not dispute this compliance.
The Court, however, observed that the officer acted only after repeated judicial nudges, effectively compelling the High Court to perform municipal functions. Terming this unacceptable, the Court underscored the importance of proactive governance and accountability of municipal officers.
Decision: The Court dropped contempt proceedings but imposed a cost of ₹25,000/- on the Executive Officer, to be paid personally and not from public funds or the municipal account. The amount was directed to be deposited with the Poor Patients Welfare Fund, PGIMER, Chandigarh, within 30 days. The penalty order was further directed to form part of the officer’s personal service record.