VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has ruled that government resources cannot be concentrated in the hands of a few, stressing that such monopolisation is against public interest.
Justice Gannamaneni Ramakrishna Prasad delivered the judgment while hearing writ petitions filed by V Rabbani Basha, who challenged the cancellation of his licences and the fresh tender notification for open commercial spaces at Yerraguntla Bus Stand.
The court found that APSRTC had wrongly allotted multiple open spaces to a single individual, enabling him to sub-lease them for profit while defaulting on licence fees.
It noted that Rabbani Basha suppressed facts, misled the court, and violated tender norms. Evidence, including letters from sub-lessees, proved that he rented out the shops illegally. The judge held that APSRTC officials’ negligence allowed such irregularities to flourish.
Declaring the practice of allotting several spaces to one person as unhealthy and monopolistic, the court directed APSRTC to frame a clear “One Person–One Open Space” policy for all future tenders. The January 4, 2024, tender notification was cancelled, and APSRTC was ordered to refund deposits. The court upheld the APSRTC decision of cancelling licenses of Rabbani Basha