HYDERABAD: Expressing displeasure over advocates arguing on behalf of AP farmers and those arguing for the Telangana government for creating confusion in the Telangana High Court, Chief Justice Hima Kohli said on Tuesday that it was not fair of the counsel to attribute motives to judges.
As soon as the petition filed by AP farmers seeking annulment of GO No: 34, which permits power generation at Telangana’s hydel stations on Krishna river, came up for hearing before Justice MS Ramachandra Rao’s bench, Telangana advocate-general (AG) BS Prasad sought its transfer to the bench headed by the Chief Justice. Reacting sharply to this, the Chief Justice said that it was she, and not advocates, who decided the roster and it was not proper for a counsel to insist that the petition be heard by a specific bench.
She said the advocates were free to withdraw their petitions if they had no trust in the bench hearing the case. Responding to this, the AG said he would withdraw the interim petition he had filed. Justice Ramachandra Rao, taking objection to the AG saying he should recuse from hearing the case, asked why the issue was being raised again (same request was put forth on Monday). He termed the AG’s stand as unfortunate.