Jabalpur (MP), Feb 12: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday imposed a cost of Rs one lakh on the state government for not filing the district magistrate’s affidavit along with its reply in response to a notice over detention of to a man from Seoni under the National Security Act (NSA).

A division bench comprising Justices Sanjay Yadav and Atul Sreedharan expressed unhappiness over the state government’s handling of the matter.

“We are not at all happy with the manner in which the matter has been dealt with by the state of Madhya Pradesh,” the court said.

“Although in the interest of justice, one opportunity is granted to the state and its functionaries to file the return supported by an affidavit by the district magistrate,” it added in its order.

“However, the same is subject to Rs 1,00,000 cost to be deposited with the State Legal Services Authority,” the court added.

The court directed the government to deposit the cost amount within a week, petitioner Shubham Baghel’s counsel Narendranath Tripathi said.

The affidavit filed along with the reply of the high court’s notice was signed by the sub divisional officer of police (SOP) Seoni instead of the district magistrate, he added.

Baghel, a resident of Seoni district was allegedly taken by the police into preventive custody under National Security Act (NSA) without any specific criminal case against him, the counsel said.

The petitioner has challenged his detention under section 3(2) and 3(3) of National Security Act 1980 on July 3, 2019, Tripathi said.

The HC had served notice to the state government seeking its reply.

PTI