The Telangana High Court on Wednesday decided to physically hear the petition filed by TRS MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh against the Union Home Ministry’s order regarding his Indian citizenship on March 18.
The Vemulawada MLA has challenged the Ministry’s order which declared him not an Indian citizen and accused him of fraudulently obtaining the citizenship by furnishing fictitious documents. Dealing with the petition over video-conference, Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili said the case requires physical hearing. Advocate V Ravi Kiran Rao, appearing for complainant Adi Srinivas, urged the court to conclude the hearing on the next date of the case. Srinivas had contested an election against Ramesh and lost in the consecutive ones.
Meanwhile, Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ramachandra Rao sought more time to file a counter affidavit on the issue. Considering the plea, the judge posted the matter to March 18 for final hearing. Earlier, the AAG had informed the court that the Centre issued the impugned order without seeking the Telangana government’s opinion on the issue. Law and order is a State subject and the Centre has to consult it on the above issue, he said and urged the court to grant it time to file a counter affidavit.
HC permits EFLU to go ahead with hiring process
In a relief to the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), the High Court permitted it to go ahead with the recruitment process, including conducting interviews, to fill various posts pursuant to the notification issued in May last year. It, however, made it clear that these appointments are subject to the final outcome of the petition filed on the issue. It issued notices to the Centre and the National Commission for Backward Classes to respond. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy passed this interim order in the petition filed by the EFLU, challenging the order of the National Commission for BCs in stopping the recruitment. The commission had passed the order based on Congress leader Sravan Dasoju’s complaint. The bench posted the matter to August 4.
Show good deed to avoid punishment: Collector told
In an interesting development, the High Court on Wednesday made a proposal to an IAS officer that it will set aside the punishment imposed on him in a contempt case provided he does one good service that benefits the people. Agreeing to this, the government counsel appearing for the officer said he will furnish the details of the officer’s execution of Central and State government welfare schemes.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy made this proposal to Nalgonda Collector Prashanth J Patil while dealing with a contempt appeal filed by him in 2017. He had challenged the order passed by a single judge imposing a fine of `2,000 payable in four weeks in a contempt case, failing which he would be sent to six weeks of simple imprisonment. The single judge, while dealing with a petition filed by rice mill owner G Chandrasekhar, had directed Patil, then Joint Collector (Civil Supplies), and other officials to allocate paddy to the petitioner by removing him from the blacklist. When the order was not implemented, the petitioner filed a contempt case. The HC posted the matter to April 7.