HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Monday directed Andhra Pradesh's principal secretary for health, medical and family welfare Poonam Malakondaiah to appear before it on December 4 to explain why her department had failed to file a counter affidavit, despite orders, to a PIL filed last year.
Journalist K Narender had filed a PIL seeking government regulation of the corporate health sector and an investigation into various irregularities in private hospitals. On earlier occasions, the two-judge bench of Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice M Ganga Rao had granted time to Andhra and Telangana governments till November 13 to file their counter affidavits, as a last chance.
When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, the counsel for Andhra government said he had communicated in writing to the principal secretary about the direction, but there was no response till date.
Annoyed by the attitude of the senior officer, the bench directed her to be present for the next hearing on December 4. The special counsel for Telangana, meanwhile, informed the bench that the government was adopting the counter filed earlier by the Telangana state medical council in the case.