VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the Machilipatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner to act impartially and in accordance with law while deciding on the issuance of an Occupancy Certificate (OC) for the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) office building in Machilipatnam.
Hearing an appeal related to the matter, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur and Justice Challa Gunaranjan instructed YSRCP Krishna district president Perni Nani to submit a fresh written application for the OC within four days.
The court also directed him to enclose all building permission documents obtained for the construction and to serve a copy of the application to the municipal corporation’s standing counsel.
The Bench observed that if there are minor violations in the construction, the petitioner should be allowed to rectify them. The Commissioner was directed to examine the application and take a decision strictly as per statutory provisions.
The case arose after municipal authorities declined to issue an OC for the YSRCP office building, prompting Perni Nani to approach the High Court. While a single judge earlier held that officials were duty-bound to issue the OC, the Municipal Commissioner filed an appeal. The Advocate General argued that the building deviated from the approved plan and involved drainage encroachment, while the petitioner alleged a political vendetta. After hearing both sides, the High Court issued the above directions.