HYDERABAD: Tejavath Shankar of Thavurya Tanda in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district and two others filed a lunch motion petition in Telangana High Court on Wednesday challenging the GO 140 issued by the Tribal Welfare Department relating to the conferment of rights of the dwellers on podu lands after taking the opinion of the political representatives.
The petitioners contended that the GO issued on September 11, 2022, for the constitution of District Coordination Committees to confer the rights on tribals on podu lands by inviting the political representatives as illegal, ex-facie, unjust, unfair and violative of the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act-2006 and Rules-2008.
The petitioners also argued before Justice B Vijayasen Reddy that the GO also is in contravention of Articles 14, 19, 21, and 300A of the Indian Constitution, as well as the Principles of Natural Justice, and against the catena of decisions of an Apex Court, this Court, and different High Courts.
Counsel for the petitioners, Chikkudu Prabhakar, argued that the GO is unconstitutional and that the government was acting in bad faith by introducing District Ministers, MLAs, and MPs onto District Land Committees, which violates the terms of the RoFR Act, 2006 and Rules, 2008.After hearing the petitioners’ arguments, the Court asked the Government Pleader to seek directions from the State Government on the matter and scheduled the next hearing to September 23, 2022.
‘Illegal & unfair’
Petitioners contended that the GO issued to confer the rights on tribals on podu lands by inviting the political representatives as illegal, ex-facie, unjust, unfair and violative of the provisions of the Act