HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday gave the State government two weeks to file a report listing the steps taken to appoint the chairperson and members to the Telangana State Human Rights Commission (TSHRC).
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice NV Shravan Kumar was hearing a petition filed by Adnan Mahmood seeking directions to the State government to promptly fill the vacant positions in the TSHRC in accordance with Section 22 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, as amended by Act No. 19 of 2019.
The petition apprised the court that due to the absence of appointed officials, the TSHRC has been dysfunctional since December 22, 2022. During the course of the hearing, the bench officially documented the communication from the chief secretary dated September 29, 2023, stating that the State government has initiated the process of appointing the chairperson and members to the TSHRC.
The communication said that four applications were received for the position of chairperson, while 10 and 64 applications were received for the positions of member, judicial, and member, non-judicial, respectively. These applications are currently undergoing screening, and a final decision will be made by the committee responsible for these appointments.
Convert Chenchu hamlets into revenue villages: HC
The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to complete the process of converting tribal (Chenchu) hamlets into revenue villages within four months.
In its orders to the collectors of Nagarkurnool, Mahbubnagar, Jogulamba Gadwal, Narayanpet and Wanaparthy districts, a bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice NV Shravan Kumar set a strict time frame of four months to complete the process of converting the hamlets into revenue villages.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in 2005 by a voluntary organisation for the upliftment of tribes, raising concerns over the State government designating Chenchu hamlets as scheduled areas and not revenue villages.
Senior counsel KS Murthy told the court that while the State government recently issued podu pattas for cultivating land to forest dwellers and tribals in the district, it has not effectively implemented the Forest Rights Act. He argued that Section 3(1)(h) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 allows for the conversion of all forest villages, old habitations, and unsurveyed villages into revenue villages.