Judges Pulls up VHR for Creating Ruckus in Court

Judges Pulls up VHR for Creating Ruckus in Court

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the High Court pulled up senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao on Monday when he created a ruckus in the first court hall during hearing of a petition he filed challenging the continuance of P.Appa Rao as vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad.

The Congress leader was sitting in the visitors enclosure of the first court hall when the bench comprising acting chief justice Dilip B Bhosale and justice P Naveen Rao was dealing with a PIL filed by him urging the court for removal of Appa Rao as VC.

The bench was posing questions to the petitioner’s counsel C Damodar Reddy to know from him the provision which mandates that a VC cannot continue in his post when his name figures in a criminal case as an accused. “We cannot decide the matter based on emotions and media hype. We want to know the law under which you are seeking removal of VC,” the bench told the counsel.

At this stage, an irritated MP intervened by making loud remarks from the visitors enclosure saying that more than 600 persons went to jail for the sake of one person (VC). “Arrest me also. I am prepared to go to jail,” he shouted.

Felt surprised at the ruckus, justice Bhosale enquired from the bench as to who was making such statements.

The Congress leader then shouted loudly saying that he was a member of Parliament and attempted to move forward to address the judges. However, his counsel tried to dissuade him from moving forward.

The Acting Chief Justice expressed anger at this and called the police to evict the petitioner MP. At this stage, VHR made a silent exit from the court hall.

Continuing the hearing, the bench said that  universities and their campuses were meant for students. “Where is the need for political leaders and social activists to visit the campus?” the bench asked the counsel. The bench, however, admitted the petition and directed issuance of notices to the respondents _ secretary to the Union ministry of human resource development, principal secretary (higher education) of Telangana, Appa Rao, UoH registrar and the Cyberabad police commissioner. The bench posted the matter to June 20 for further hearing.

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