HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to submit complete details regarding the removal of additional public prosecutors (APPs) across the state, including the number of officers removed, their tenure, and how many have been newly appointed. The matter has been posted for further hearing on Tuesday.
The order came while hearing a writ petition filed by advocate T Venteshwar Prasad, who had been working at the LB Nagar court in Rangareddy district. He contended that the government terminated his services without issuing any notice. Along with his plea, 12 other advocates filed separate petitions challenging the government’s decision.
Justice NV Shravan Kumar, who heard the batch of petitions on Monday, was informed by the petitioners’ counsel that the Home department issued a GO on September 10 removing the APPs without prior notice. He argued that the petitioners were denied an opportunity to be heard, and the action was illegal. The petitioners urged the court to order their reinstatement.
On behalf of the state, the government counsel argued that since the petitioners were not permanent APPs but were appointed on tenure, the State has the authority to terminate them at any time.
After hearing both sides, the judge directed the government to file a counter affidavit with full details concerning the removal and appointment of APPs and adjourned the matter.