AP High Court stays filling up of port posts

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,Aug. 19: A division bench of the AP High Court on Wednesday stayed the filling of 49 posts in Gangavaram port, Visakhapatnam, from the list of displaced fishermen.
The petition filed by Ganagavaram Sampradaya Mastyakarula Sangam informed the court that a list of 317 fishermen was initially prepared but later another list of 717 people was made based on a directive from the Lok Ayukta.
The petitioner contended that the Lok Ayukta does not have jurisdiction to pass such an order.

HC stays eviction

Justice C.V. Ramulu of the AP High Court on Wednesday stayed an order issued by the tahsildar of Kothapatnam mandal in Prakasam district, directing eviction of 300 farmers from their salt pans in Motumanda village.
The farmers told the court that they had been manufacturing salt in the pans for three decades and the tahsildar passed orders in order to evict them from their land stating that the land was required to set up industrial units.
They said the authorities had tried to evict them from the land in 1988, but the court stayed the attempt.
The court also directed the revenue authorities not to displace them until further orders.

Top cop told to explain

The AP High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the deputy inspector-general of the Special Protection Force, Mr Yesuratnam, asking him to file his reply on a petition that challenged his exoneration in an ACB case.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Mr Kasireddy Srinivasulu of Hyderabad, who complained that the government was “lenient” towards the officer.
He told the court that though the DIG was caught in a disproportionate assets case, the government did not grant the required permission to ACB to prosecute him. He said that the government planned to close the matter with a departmental probe.
The state government in its reply told the court that it has the discretion to drop a case. The bench, not satisfied with the government’s response issued a notice to the DIG and asking him to explain his version by September 2.

CBI told to halt tests

The CBI on Wednesday informed the AP High Court that conducting polygraph and brain mapping tests on the accused in Satyam scam was not unconstitutional.
CBI counsel, Mr T. Niranjan Reddy, contended that to unearth the diversion of funds, these tests were essential.
The court directed CBI not to conduct tests on Ramalinga Raju, his brother, Rama Raju, and the CFO, Vadlamani Srinivas, until Monday.