VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to halt the construction of a Rama temple at Pedapeta village in Akiveedu mandal of West Godavari district.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice N Jayasurya on Wednesday observed that a writ petition on the same issue is already pending before a single judge. The bench noted that notices were issued in the writ petition, and clarified that any violation of interim or final orders could be addressed through contempt proceedings. Filing a PIL on the same subject, the court said was not an appropriate remedy. It further pointed out that both the writ petitioner and the PIL petitioner belong to the same locality, and had raised identical concerns that the temple was being built without necessary permissions. In such circumstances, parallel adjudication was unnecessary.
The bench permitted the PIL petitioner to implead in the pending writ petition and present arguments before the single judge, thereby disposing of the PIL.
During the hearing, the bench expressed displeasure when Assembly Deputy Speaker Kanumuru Raghurama Krishna Raju attempted to directly address the court, terming such conduct inappropriate.
The PIL, filed by a Pedapeta resident, alleged that the Rama temple was being constructed on four cents of government poramboke land without approvals, contrary to legal norms and judicial precedents restricting unauthorised religious structures on government land.