The Supreme Court's contempt notice to the Delhi government for defying its earlier directive to shut down water-polluting industrial units has put senior bureaucrats in a fix.

If they fail to obey the apex court's orders a jail term faces them and if they go against their political bosses they have to face their wrath. When chief secretary Omesh Saigal gave orders to close polluting industries he was acting under pressure from the Supreme Court which had issued a contempt notice against him for defying an earlier directive to close down all these units by November 1, last year.