The conduct of senior IAS officer D K Rao, who allegedly harboured Sushil Sharma after the former Youth Congress leader killed his wife and attempted to burn the body in a tandoor, has attracted the ire of the sessions court.

Additional Sessions Judge G P Thareja in his order convicting Sharma of Naina Sahni's murder on Tuesday said officers lowering the esteem of their coveted post should 'not be spared.'

See Rediff Special: Murder most foul

"IAS officers should ensure that politicians who try to exploit their position as public servants by using extra constitutional influence are not encouraged in any manner," the judge said.

The judge has directed the chief metropolitan magistrate to prosecute Rao, the then deputy secretary of Gujarat government, for allegedly giving shelter to Sharma at Gujarat Bhavan after Sahni's murder on July 2, 1995.

The court said it could not believe that Rao did not have knowledge of Sharma's role in the crime while giving him shelter.

The judge said Rao concocted a story of Sharma having confessed to him about the murder over telephone from Mumbai on July 4, 1995. He asked why Rao did not reveal this information to the police.

"If he was a responsible administrator and not like an administrator who keeps nexus with criminals and politicians,
he had a duty to bring to the notice of Delhi Police the sequence of events," the court said.