HYDERABAD: A division bench of the High Court on Tuesday directed the Telangana government to submit the entire record pertaining to lease of 10 acres of land (out of a total of 69 acres) belonging to Victoria Memorial Home to the Rachakonda police commissionerate for a period of 11 years. The bench also directed the government to maintain status quo by not having any activity of clearing the ground or felling trees in the subject lands till the next date of hearing i.e. November 14.
The bench of acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili gave this direction on a PIL filed by L Buchi Reddy, president of VM Home Orphan Old Students Association, challenging the decision of the government to lease 10 acres of land belonging to the Home to the Rachakonda police commissionerate for constructing its headquarters there.
Pursuant to the court’s direction, the Scheduled Castes department filed its counter affidavit, contending that as per the amended rules, the government was competent to lease out the subject lands and there was no illegality in the issuance of the GOs by the government.
Additional advocate-general J Ramachander Rao submitted that as there was paucity of land in the city to house the commissionerate, it was decided to lease only 10 acres out of the total extent of 69 acres of VM Home land to the commissionerate. Even the endowment department permitted the government to enter into a lease agreement with the commissionerate.
There had been no trust or trustee for the last few decades and the government had been footing all the bills of the students who are staying at VM Home with regard to their education, hostel facilities, books, clothes and so on, he added.
Notice to TS govt on cabinet rank for nominated members
Hyderabad: A division bench of the High Court on Tuesday ordered issuance of notices to the Telangana government and other respondents concerned, directing them to file their counter affidavits in three weeks on a PIL which challenged the Telangana government’s action of according Cabinet rank status to the persons who were appointed in various capacities but were not part and parcel of the council of ministers of the state.
The bench of acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili was admitting a PIL filed by N Indrasena Reddy, senior BJP leader, seeking a direction to the Telangana government to withdraw the cabinet status conferred on some retired bureaucrats and others.