India, Dec. 29 -- The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the highest officer in a government department is liable for contempt proceedings if a writ court order is not complied with due to confusion in the administrative machinery.

Maintaining that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary will be liable for contempt in cases relating to the Land Acquisition Act, 1984, as well as the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the court said distribution of work between different departments cannot be used as a pretext for not implementing a court order.

It is the duty of the State Government to ensure full compliance with the order passed by this court, Justice Salil Kumar Rai sa...