HYDERABAD: The State government moved the Telangana High Court on Monday requesting that it instruct Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan to approve the Budget introduction at once as she had not approved it despite the fact that the State government circulated the file to her office on January 21. However, respective counsels for the State government and Governor’s Office reached a compromise later in the day, prompting the court to dissolve the case.
At 1 pm, a division bench led by Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji, was hearing an urgent lunch motion writ petition filed by the State government seeking a direction to the Governor to approve the Budget 2023-24, which has been pending with the Governor’s office since January 21.
As the scheduled date for the Budget session was February 3, the State petitioned the court for an urgent hearing. When Dushyant Dave, senior counsel representing the State, requested the HC’s intervention in this matter, Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked whether the high court might issue a Writ of Mandamus to the Governor.
Don’t drag court into such issues: CJ
Further, the Chief Justice, turning towards Dave, observed, “Please don’t drag judiciary into this issue, these issues are so sensitive, and such issues should be amicably resolved between the Governor and the State. Later on, you will say that the high court has exceeded its powers in passing orders”. Furthermore, after hearing Dave’s arguments for 30 minutes, the Chief Justice instructed the senior counsel and Ashok Anand Kumar, senior counsel for the Governor’s office, to think about the current matter and reach an amicable solution.
At 2.30 pm, following lunch, both senior counsels acting for the State and the Governor informed the court that the talks in the Advocate General’s chambers had been constructive. Ashok Anand Kumar informed the court that the Governor will address the upcoming Budget session and read out the speech prepared by the State government.
Dushyant Dave informed the Court that the State will prepare the Budget speech and that the Finance Minister would invite the Governor to speak at the Budget session. Further, Ashok Kumar told the court that all outstanding legislations at the Governor’s office would be cleared and that any concerns in the pending bills would be clarified by the appropriate minister.
The State government has also committed to observing conventions and constitutional restrictions, such as scheduling the Governor’s address at the start of the Budget session.
The bench, in its decision on the BRS government’s writ petition, said that it has not gone into the intricacies of the writ petition’s maintainability because the State and the Governor’s office had reached an agreeable arrangement. The State’s writ petition has been closed.