HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Monday expressed anger at a counsel representing the AP government in an alleged illegal sand mining case for not following its orders.
The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice S V Bhatt was dealing with a PIL filed by D Ramalingeswara Rao challenging the inaction of the authorities in curbing the illegal sand mining at Tandava river in East Godavari district.
When the petition has come up for hearing at 11 am, the bench ordered the counsel for Panchayat Raj to immediately seize all the vehicles transporting the illegal sand and also the equipment at the sand reach and inform it by 12.15 pm.
When the bench took up the case at 12.15 pm, the counsel urged the court to take up the case at 2.15 pm.
Following the request, the bench agreed and resumed the hearing at 2.15 and the counsel submitted that the officials have seized eight vehicles so far from May this year.
Expressing anger at the counsel for his submissions, the bench said, “We have ordered you to ask the collector to seize the vehicles and equipment at the reach today, but you are giving information about the seizures made earlier. If you are unable to follow our orders prefer not to appear before us.”
The bench pointed out that the action of the counsel in this case created doubt that he is helping the illegal sand miners.
While asking AP additional advocate general Dammalapati Srinivas to appear in this case for future hearings, the bench directed the tahsildar concerned to take steps to prevent illegal sand quarrying, and adjourned the case to next week.