Patna, July 14: The high court today dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the state government’s decision to transfer 340 block development officers (BDOs) within a year from the place of their earlier posting.

A division bench of Justice S.K. Katriar and Justice Vikas Jain refused to hear the plea of Sudhir Kumar Ojha, a Muzaffarpur-based lawyer, saying it (court) could not interfere in a matter purely in the administrative domain of the state government.

Prod to DIG

The high court today asked the deputy inspector-general of Magadh range to file a reply within two weeks in the kidnapping of a person in Gaya in 2008. A division bench of Navaniti Prasad Singh and A.K. Singh issued the directive on a habeas corpus petition filed by Vidya Devi seeking presence of her kidnapped husband Shiv Kumar Singh.

A habeas corpus petition is filed to ensure the bodily presence of the person in court. Singh, a village land worker, had lodged a complaint with vigilance investigation bureau against the junior engineer and assistant engineer of the rural development department for allegedly seeking bribe to clear payment. On Singh’s complaint, the vigilance department conducted raid and caught them accepting bribe. The engineers were sent to jail. But they were out on bail soon because of the failure of the vigilance department to file a chargesheet against them in a stipulated timeframe.

Vidya Devi in her petition alleged that the engineers masterminded the kidnap of her husband in connivance with police.

The court asked the DIG, vigilance department, to file a detailed affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for hearing on August 1.