Telangana High Court takes up Congress leader’s PIL
HYDERABAD: A bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T Vinod Kumar, on Wednesday, sought the response of senior officials in connection with a PIL filed by senior Congress leader Bakka Judson urging the court to issue directions transferring the investigation into the Group-1 question paper leak to the CBI from the Special Investigating Team (SIT).
In his petition expressing scepticism about the SIT’s credibility, Judson contended that the SIT is led by AR Srinivas, an IPS officer who is facing a contempt case. This, according to the petitioner, raises concerns about the fairness of the investigation.
Taking up the PIL on Wednesday, though it was filed on April 20, 2023, the bench issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Home, the CBI director, New Delhi, the chairman of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC), the Hyderabad Police Commissioner, and the SIT, directing them to respond within three weeks.
The High Court registry withheld a reference number for the PIL due to specific objections that required clarification from the petitioner. Government Pleader for Home, Roopender, said that another related matter -- a writ petition seeking a CBI inquiry into the question paper leakage, specifically involving the Group-1 preliminary and other exams -- is under the jurisdiction of a single judge and in that case, the SIT has already submitted three status reports outlining the progress of their investigation.
Appearing for Judson, counsel S Sharat Kumar brought to the notice of the bench that the SIT has so far focused on prosecuting lower-ranking officials, such as an assistant section officer and a system analyst, while neglecting higher-ranking officers at the TSPSC.
These senior officers, including the chairman and the Secretary, possess access to the question papers, Sharat Kumar said.In a parallel case, a writ petition filed by Balmuri Venkat Narsing Rao, the NSUI Telangana state president, requesting a CBI investigation into the TSPSC question paper leak,
remains pending, counsel pointed out.