Justice Abdul Moin raised this concern after the State’s standing counsel was unable to contact the DM by phone. The counsel had been instructed earlier that morning to seek the DM’s input regarding a delay in the renewal of an explosives license.
Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Monday(21st Oct) expressed discontent over the District Magistrate (DM) of Hardoi, Mangla Prasad Singh, being unreachable during working hours due to his mobile phone being switched off.
Justice Abdul Moin raised this concern after the State’s standing counsel was unable to contact the DM by phone. The counsel had been instructed earlier that morning to seek the DM’s input regarding a delay in the renewal of an explosives license.
However, at 2:30 PM, the lawyer informed the Court that all attempts to reach the DM were unsuccessful as his phone remained switched off.
The Court criticized this situation, remarking, “It is indeed unfortunate that the head of the District is operating with his phone switched off. It is unclear why the phone was disabled, raising concerns about how the District Magistrate can be contacted during emergencies.”
The Court was hearing a petition regarding an almost eight-month delay in approving the renewal of an explosives license.
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It was informed that the renewal application had been submitted in February 2024, but the competent authority, the District Magistrate (DM) of Hardoi, had yet to respond.
During the proceedings, the Court instructed the State counsel to obtain instructions from the DM. However, the DM could not be reached by phone, prompting the Court to summon him to appear the following day (today) and explain the reason for his unavailability.
The Court also directed the DM to clarify why the petitioner’s explosives license had not been renewed despite the application being filed in February 2024.
The DM was ordered to be present in Court today to address these concerns. Advocate Vikas Sharma represented the petitioner.
Case Title: Najakat Ali vs Union of India
