VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Friday informed the Andhra Pradesh High Court that an amendment will be made to the Endowments Act with regard to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) special invitees. A decision in this regard has already been taken.
Government pleader Rajini Reddy informed the division bench, comprising Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N Jayasurya, which was dealing with a bunch of PILs challenging the government order appointing 52 people as special invitees to the TTD, that a counter with full details will be filed.
Similarly, TTD senior standing counsel S Satyanarayana Prasad also said the devasthanam will file a counter with full details. Agreeing to it, the court adjourned the case hearing to February 15. An interim stay on the GO appointing special invitees to the TTD was already issued on September 22 last year.
During the arguments, when the government pleader informed the court that a counter will be filed, Y Balaji, counsel for one of the petitioners, said the number of special invites has surpassed the members in the central cabinet and that the TTD board already has 29 members. At this point, the court observed that in the service of God more people would be required to do different works.
Advocate Umesh Chandra PVG contended on behalf of Kakumanu Lalith Kumar that there was not any mention of ‘special invitee’ in the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987, which makes it ultra vires on part of the government to issue the impugned GOs. He said the government was at liberty to make amendments to the said Act and only then revert with fresh orders.
When Umesh Chandra did not stop his argument, the bench expressed its dissatisfaction and sought to know what was the meaning of continuing the argument when it was already said that a counter will be filed.
TTD’s standing counsel objected to the special invitees not being made respondents by the petitioners, which even the court agreed. MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy filed a supplementary petition seeking him to be included as a respondent, as he too was appointed as special invitee to the TTD. The court made him the fourth respondent and directed the petitioners to respond in writing over Karunakar Reddy’s submission to vacate the stay over the GOs.