No urgent hearing on Secretariat demolition: Telangana High Court

While refusing to consider the plea, the bench made the above suggestion to the petitioners’ counsel.
Telangana Old Secretariat complex demolition underway in Hyderabad. (Photo | RVK Rao, EPS)
Telangana Old Secretariat complex demolition underway in Hyderabad. (Photo | RVK Rao, EPS)

No urgent hearing on Secretariat demolition

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday refused to take up an urgent hearing of a plea against the demolition of the existing Secretariat buildings. The bench suggested the petitioner’s counsel to file an affidavit on the issue and get it numbered for case hearing. Advocate Chikkudu Prabhakar, who appeared earlier for petitioners Prof PL Vishweshwar Rao and Dr Cheruku Sudhakar on the issue, sought permission to move lunch motion petition against the action of the State government’s action of demolishing existing Secretariat buildings, and for having an urgent hearing of the matter. While refusing to consider the plea, the bench made the above suggestion to the petitioners’ counsel. Meanwhile, senior advocate S Satyam Reddy, who earlier appeared for senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy on the issue, addressed a letter to the HC registrar general seeking court direction to the State not to demolish the Secretariat buildings. On June 29, the HC had dismissed a batch of PILs challenging the demolition.

Censure not enough for cop who harassed youths: HC

The Telangana HC on Wednesday found fault with Miryalaguda police’s (in Nalgonda) “minor punishment of censure” meted out to its inspector who had resorted to violation of human rights of five youngsters. The court also termed the written statements signed by the accused “parrot-like”. The court further directed the petitioner to file a rejoinder affidavit on the report filed by the Miryalaguda police. The accused inspector of Miryalaguda rural police station had allegedly compelled five youths booked for petty crimes to move barricades at the Andhra-Telangana border at Wadapally. He would make the accused move the barricades in the scorching sun for 12 hours straight, thereby violating their human rights.

A bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy was dealing with a PIL filed by Hyderabad resident B Akash Kumar. The petitioner had pleaded for a judicial inquiry and order to appoint an advocate commissioner to ascertain facts of the incident. The police filed a report before the court on the issue. Advocate general BS Prasad submitted that the top brass of the police department are taking all efforts to sensitise officers.

The AG urged the court to close the present case since the delinquent officer was already punished with censure. After pursuing the contents of the report and hearing the AG’s submission, the bench said that the punishment should be exemplary and act as a deterrent. It should be of imposing maximum penalty and postponement of two increments, the bench said. The bench posted the matter to July 29 for further hearing.

HC warns of legal action over false news on its closure

Stating that there is no truth in the ‘breaking news’ being telecast on some news channels and circulated on social media that the Telangana HC will remain closed for two weeks due to Covid-19 pandemic, HC’s Registrar General A Venkateswara Reddy on Wednesday warned that action for spreading such false news. The Registrar General said that though some employees of the court have tested positive for the virus, the HC continues to function by accepting e-filing and by taking up urgent matters through video conferencing.

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