Vidarbha Court Order Issues: Authorities Defy Rulings

thenewsdirt
Mar 26
5 min read

In Vidarbha, court orders don’t always carry the weight they should. Over the years, authorities here have sidestepped rulings, sparking legal battles and leaving locals caught in the fallout.

It’s not a new story, but it’s one that keeps unfolding, sometimes in the forests, sometimes behind prison walls, sometimes on the streets. Each case reveals a stubborn streak, a reluctance to toe the line, and a justice system forced to push back.

The Saw Mill Scandal That Shook the Top

Back in 2006, something extraordinary happened in Vidarbha. The Supreme Court of India, usually a distant arbiter of right and wrong, reached down and hauled two big names into the dock.

Swarup Singh Naik, the state’s transport minister, and Ashok Khot, the Additional Chief Secretary for Forests, weren’t just slapped on the wrist. They were sentenced to a month behind bars.

The charge was contempt of court. They let an illegal saw mill churn away near the Tadoba sanctuary in Chandrapur district, a wildlife haven that’s home to tigers and a fragile ecosystem.

This wasn’t a small slip-up. Back in 1997, the court had laid down a clear rule of no more renewals for saw mill licences near Tadoba. The idea was to protect the forests, to keep the saws from chewing through what little green was left.

But by 2004, six mills were humming along, their blades slicing through the law as much as the timber. Naik and Khot, the men at the helm, actively allowed it to happen. When the Supreme Court caught wind, it didn’t mince words. The verdict came down hard, a rare moment where a minister and a top official faced the kind of punishment usually reserved for the rank and file.

For Vidarbha, this was more than a legal footnote. Tadoba is a lifeline for the region, drawing tourists and keeping the balance of nature intact.

The saw mill fiasco threatened all that, and the court’s decision sent a message that no one’s above the law. But it also left a question hanging in the air.

If the top brass could flout a ruling so brazenly, what did that say about the system underneath?

Parole Promises Broken in Nagpur

Fast forward to 2021, and the scene shifts to Nagpur, Vidarbha’s unofficial capital. Inside the walls of Nagpur Central Prison, a different kind of defiance was brewing.

This time, it wasn’t about trees or tigers but about people locked away, waiting for a chance to breathe free air.

The Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench got involved when complaints piled up about the prison’s superintendent, Anupkumar Kumre.

The man in charge of the jail was playing fast and loose with parole, deciding who got out and who stayed in with no clear rhyme or reason.

Hanuman Pendam, a prisoner who’d ticked all the boxes for parole eligibility. He should’ve been out, seeing his family, getting a break from the bars. Instead, Kumre said no and didn’t bother explaining why. Meanwhile, others walked free, some with shakier cases, raising eyebrows about who was pulling strings behind the scenes.

The court wasn’t having it. Justices V.M. Deshpande and Amit Borkar called it a “sorry state of affairs,” pointing out how Kumre’s haphazard decisions were trampling on prisoners’ rights.

They hit him with contempt proceedings and ordered an inquiry, tasking Nagpur’s Commissioner of Police with digging into the mess.

It painted a picture of a system gone sloppy. Parole is a legal lifeline, a chance for prisoners to stay connected to the outside world. When it’s handed out like sweets to some and snatched away from others, trust crumbles.

For the families waiting outside Nagpur’s prison gates, it was a bitter pill, knowing the law said one thing, but the man with the keys did another. The inquiry rolled on, and Kumre faced the heat, but the damage lingered.

Vidarbha’s people started wondering that if the law can’t even hold sway in a jail, where else is it slipping?

Nagpur’s Roads: A Rough Ride for Justice

Now, let’s step onto the streets of Nagpur in 2024, where the ground itself tells a story of defiance.

The city’s cement roads, poured with a hefty Rs 1,500 crore price tag, should’ve been a point of pride. Instead, they’ve become a daily headache.

Cracks spiderweb across the surface, potholes gape like traps, and uneven stretches turn every rain into a flood.

The Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench, led by Justices Nitin Sambre and Abhay Mantri, saw the chaos and stepped in.

In July 2024, the court ordered a fix. They told the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), the state Public Works Department, and the National Highways Authority of India to set up an expert committee and sort it out.

But by November, nothing had changed. The roads stayed treacherous, and the agencies shrugged off the directive.

The court didn’t hold back, warning of contempt charges if the foot-dragging continued. Places like Ram Nagar, North Ambazari Road, and VIP Road were singled out, stretches where the concrete’s failings were plain to see.

Experts from VNIT, Nagpur’s top technical institute, chimed in, suggesting a “Pavement Management System” to get things on track. Prof. Vishrut Landge, head of civil engineering there, reckoned it could bring some order to the mess.

Meanwhile, NMC’s Chief Engineer, Leena Upadhaye, promised surveys and repairs, but the potholes didn’t budge.

For Nagpur’s citizens, it is a promise that’s crumbling under their feet. With contempt looming, the stakes are climbing higher. If the court follows through, Vidarbha could see another round of officials facing the music, this time, over something as basic as a decent road.

A Thread That Won’t Snap

Court Order in Vidarbha and their Flouting

From the forests of Chandrapur to the cells of Nagpur, and now the streets underfoot, Vidarbha’s got a knack for testing the law’s grip.

A minister lets a saw mill run because it’s easier than saying no. A prison boss picks and chooses parole like it’s his personal game. City officials leave roads to rot because, well, who’s going to make them fix it?

Each time, the courts step in, swinging gavels and issuing warnings, but the pattern holds. The law speaks, and Vidarbha’s authorities listen, then carry on anyway.

As of March 2025, those Nagpur roads are still a sore point, with the contempt threat hanging like a storm cloud. The saw mill case is old news, but its echo lingers in every environmental debate.

The parole mess left a mark on how people see justice behind bars. Vidarbha’s story isn’t done. It’s a slow burn, a tug-of-war between what’s ordered and what’s done.

Think about that next time you hear a judge’s ruling on the news. It’s a dare, a challenge to see if anyone’s listening. In Vidarbha, they hear it loud and clear. They just don’t always follow.