VIJAYAWADA: The High Court of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday directed the board members of TTD, who failed to file their counters in a petition filed challenging the appointment of those with criminal antecedents as board members, to file their counters in the next two weeks, else it will proceed ahead with the case hearing.
Dealing with a petition filed by senior BJP leader Bhanuprakash Reddy, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Prashanth Kumar Mishra and Justice Satyanarayana Murthy expressed ire, when informed by the petitioner’s counsel that 16 out of 18 board members have not filed counters. It directed the respondents to file counters by the next case hearing on March 11, which it said is their last chance.
Also dealing with public interest litigations filed against issuance of GO Rt No 568 and 569 by the State government appointing 52 people as special invitees of the TTD, by K Lalith Kumar of Hindu Janasakthi, BJP leader G Bhanu Prakash Reddy, and M Umamaheswara Rao of the TDP, the bench vacated the stay on the appointment of Tirupati MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy as a special invitee, stating that he is doesn’t have any criminal antecedents
It said the stay on the remaining 51 members will continue. At the same time, it sought objections of the petitioners over the issuance of the ordinance by the government over the appointment of the special invitees.
Advocate Umesh Chandra PVG, appearing for one of the petitioners K Lalith Kumar, said that subsequent to the interim suspension of GOs, the state government has brought in an ordinance to resolve the legal defect.
He further contended that a copy of the ordinance has not yet been furnished to him and urged the court to post the matter for two weeks for enabling him to peruse the ordinance and verify its constitutionality.