VIJAYAWADA: The AP High Court has issued notices to the State government and senior officials in a petition filed by former AP Secretariat Employees Association president and Panchayat Raj Department Assistant Secretary Kakarla Venkatarami Reddy, challenging his dismissal from service.
Justice Donadi Ramesh directed the State government, the Special Chief Secretary of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department, and the Kadapa District Collector-cum-Enquiry Officer to file counters with complete details regarding the dismissal proceedings. The matter was adjourned to June for further hearing.
Venkatarami Reddy approached the High Court challenging the government order issued on April 20, dismissing him from service. He sought an interim suspension of order.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Veluru Maheswara Reddy argued that the government dismissed his client on allegations that he violated service rules by allegedly supporting the then YSRCP. He contended that the charges were based largely on newspaper reports and four cases registered alleging violation of the election code.
The counsel argued that the government failed to properly consider the explanations submitted by the petitioner and issued the dismissal order in a unilateral manner. He further alleged that the enquiry officer acted with bias and did not conduct the enquiry in accordance with prescribed procedures.
The petitioner’s counsel told the court that no concrete evidence or witness statements were produced to prove that Venkatarami Reddy campaigned for any political party or distributed pamphlets. He alleged that the dismissal was politically motivated and requested the HC to stay implementation of the dismissal order.
