HYDERABAD: A bench of the Telangana High Court on Friday directed various government entities to respond within four weeks to a taken-up PIL seeking the establishment of tribunals in the state as stipulated under the Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, and the Municipalities Act, 2019.
The notices were issued to the State government, represented by the chief secretary, special chief secretary (GAD), principal secretaries of municipal administration and panchayat raj departments, secretary of the law department, director of municipal administration, and the commissioner of the panchayat raj department.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty, took up the hearing of the PIL based on a letter written by Rapolu Bhaskar, an advocate.
In his letter, Bhaskar had sought direction to the State government to establish tribunals, saying that they were crucial for resolving issues related to municipalities and panchayat raj and they would help reduce the burden on regular courts and promote local self-governance.
Bhaskar pointed out that it has been over five years since the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, and the Municipalities Act, 2019, were enacted, and yet the tribunals were not established.