Government officials are "public servants, not masters", Bombay HC has observed, questioning a "casual approach" by a senior bureaucrat for not complying with its order to inquire into a petitioner's alleged unresolved employment conditions.Justices Anil Pansare and Nivedita Mehta of the high court's Nagpur bench on Tuesday asked the rural development & panchayat raj department's secretary to file an affidavit by Oct 6, explaining why the court's Aug 31 directions were not followed in their true spirit.