Tiswadi mamlatdar gets HC notice over fund recovery lapse

Panaji: The high court has issued a notice to the mamlatdar of Tiswadi, asking to show cause why action under the Contempt of Courts Act should not be initiated for wilfully disobeying its orders of Oct 2023.The Morombi-O-Grande Tenants Association, Merces, through its chairman Shamir Coutinho, went to the HC alleging disobedience of the HC order directing the mamlatdar to initiate proceedings for the recovery of money.The money was allegedly misappropriated by an earlier managing committee of the association as arrears of land revenue, according to an auditor’s report.The mamlatdar, in an inquiry, observed that the earlier managing committee abused its powers, misappropriated funds, and failed to maintain accounts.Harmful acts to agricultural lands were also alleged.The association went to the HC in 2023, stating that the mamlatdar only directed the association to register an FIR against the erstwhile managing committee. The mamlatdar, the association said, didn’t exercise the powers of recovery of the misappropriated amount, which was around Rs 69 lakh, according to the auditor’s report.The association said that the mamlatdar himself ought to have registered the FIR and initiated proceedings for the recovery of the misappropriated amount.

On Oct 11, 2023, the HC directed the mamlatdar to initiate proceedings against the erstwhile managing committee for the recovery of the money. The division bench comprising justices Mahesh Sonak and Bharat P Deshpande directed the mamlatdar to complete the exercise within a year.