HYDERABAD: Fruit commission agents burst out in joy soon after the Gaddiannaram market here was opened by officials following a direction from the Telangana High Court on Friday.The government acted on the direction of the High Court without losing any time as the court, while issuing the order, made it clear that if it does not do, the officials concerned would be punished. The court said the market should be opened “right now.”
As the officials opened the market, the merchants who have been waiting to resume their business there burst firecrackers and distributed sweetmeat among themselves.Earlier in the day, the High Court took a serious exception to the government not following its earlier direction for the opening of the market.
Taking Commissioner and Director of Agricultural Marketing G Lakshmi Bai and Agricultural Market Committee Secretary Padma Harsha to task for failing to comply with its orders, a bench of the High Court asked the contemnors why they should not be punished for disobedience.
The government acquiesced after the court warned counsel appearing for the contemnors that they should open the market “right now” and submit an explanation listing out reasons for not implementing its earlier orders or it would take punitive action against them.
On February 8, a bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A. Rajashekar Reddy directed the Gaddiannaram fruit market commission agents to shift their business to Batasingaram.In the orders, the CJ had allowed one month time for them.
Though the court directed the commission agents to shift, the market was not opened to enable them to do so. Senior counsel Gangaiah Naidu, appearing for the petitioners, informed the court that the market had remained closed. As the one month given by the court will lapse this month, the bench directed immediate opening of the market to enable the petitioners to shift to Batasingaram.
HC orders ‘locked up’
On February 8, the High Court had odered the fruit market commission agents to shift to Batasingaram, but they were unable to do so as the marked was closed by the officials