Tapgate: Orders reserved on quash petition
Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court on Friday reserved orders on a petition filed by former Task Force DCP P Radhakishan Rao, seeking quashing of the probe in Crime No. 1205 of 2024 of Panjagutta police station.
The case, which pertains to alleged phone-tapping, was filed by G Chakradhar Goud.
Senior counsel Umamaheshwar Rao, representing the petitioner, contended that the second FIR (No. 1205/2024) was a deliberate attempt by the Panjagutta police to implicate his client. He argued that the first FIR in the phone-tapping case had also been registered at the same police station, and since both cases involved the same alleged offence, registering two FIRs was legally impermissible. To support his argument, he cited judgments, including the ruling by Justice K. Lakshman in Jakka Vinod Kumar Reddy & Anr. v. State of Telangana & Anr. and other Supreme Court precedents.
Senior counsel further informed the court that his client was previously arrested in the first phone-tapping case (FIR No. 243/2025) on March 29, 2024, following a complaint by the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) at Panjagutta PS. After being imprisoned for over nine months, he secured bail on January 30, 2025. Subsequently, all co-accused, including Bhujanga Rao, Mekala Thirupathanna and Praneeth Kumar, were granted bail, while two other accused, former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao and Sravan Kumar, remain absconding.
Umamaheshwar Rao alleged that the timing of the second FIR demonstrated malice on the part of the state government and the police, as it was registered only after his client was released on bail in the first case. He argued that the authorities intended to ensure that Radhakishan Rao was sent back to prison.
Aadhaar no bar for treatment at Osmania Hospital: SGP
Asserting that the Osmania General Hospital does not deny treatment to patients without Aadhaar, the Special Government Pleader (SGP) representing the hospital on Friday assured the Telangana High Court that the institution would continue to provide treatment regardless of Aadhaar availability.
The SGP also told the court that Pramila, a destitute woman, had received proper medical treatment and submitted relevant medical documents as proof. Accepting the submission, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara disposed of a PIL challenging the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar for admission and treatment at the hospital.
The PIL alleged that it was the hospital’s policy to refuse patients without Aadhaar and sought a directive to declare this as illegal, arbitrary, and in violation of Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.
Clear retirement benefits of HM within 8 weeks, govt told
The Telangana High Court on Friday directed the state government to clear the pending retirement benefits of Cholleti Raja Sukanya, a retired headmaster from Thorrur in Mahabubabad district, within eight weeks.
The petitioner is among several retired government employees who have moved court seeking directions for the timely release of their retirement benefits.
C R Sukumar, counsel for the petitioner, informed the court that Sukanya had been approaching the authorities for over seven months to receive her due benefits but had not received any response. Considering these submissions, Justice Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao directed the authorities to ensure that the retirement benefits of former government employees are settled within eight weeks from the date of receiving the court’s order.
Sukumar, citing media reports, stated that Telangana has witnessed around 10,000 government employees retiring since March last year, with school teachers accounting for nearly half of them.