A bench of the Telangana High Court on Thursday directed the state government to file a counter within three weeks to a PIL alleging that the failure to conduct local body elections was in violation of the Constitution.
In his PIL, heard by the bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara, petitioner Rapolu Bhasker alleged that the failure of the Panchayat Raj department to conduct elections to the zilla parishad, mandal parishad, and gram panchayats across the state was illegal and unconstitutional.
The PIL contended that the failure to hold local body elections for years has deprived the villages concerned of welfare activities. The bench issued notices and scheduled the matter for further hearing on March 5, 2025.
Two Tapgate accused granted regular bail
Justice K Sujana of the Telangana High Court on Thursday granted regular bail to Nayine Bhujanga Rao, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Bhupalpally, and former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) P Radhakishan Rao. The two officers are Accused No. 3 and 5 (A-3 and A-5) in the alleged phone-tapping case.
As part of the bail conditions, the court directed both the accused to submit two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each, surrender their passports, and fully cooperate with the investigating officer (IO). During the hearing, Public Prosecutor P Nageswara Rao made a representation before the bench, urging the court to impose additional conditions on the accused.
Submit responses or be present in HC, officials told
Expressing dismay over the failure of authorities to file a counter in a land dispute case, Justice K Sarath of the Telangana High Court on Thursday ordered the Principal Secretary (Revenue), the Warangal Urban district collector, the Hanamkonda RDOP, and the Kazipet tahsildar to appear before the court on the next hearing date if they fail to submit their responses.
Justice Sarath was hearing a writ petition filed in 2019 by P Shyam Kumar and two others, seeking a declaration that the allotments made to 11 beneficiaries under Lavoni patta and the consequential registered sale deed dated February 5, 2008, are null and void.
IA seeking impleadment in Waqf case rejected
Justice Nagesh Bheempaka of the Telangana High Court rejected an Interlocutory Application (IA) filed by one Mohammed Akbar, seeking impleadment as the fourth respondent in terms of the order in a 2023 writ petition seeking the appointment of a full-time CEO for the State Waqf Board. The IA was filed against Minority Welfare Principal Secretary Tafseer Iqbal, Waqf Board authorised officer Shaik Liyakat Hussain and chairman Syed Azmatullah Hussain.
A contempt case was filed by a third party, alleging willful disobedience of the HC order dated February 28, 2024, directing the filling up of the CEO post within four months.