Tribunal for status quo on certificates of teachers

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, Feb. 1: The Andhra Pradesh administrative tribunal directed the state government to maintain status quo on the order passed by the commissioner of school education and revert about 400 teachers across the state.

The commissioner passed an order on January 23 directing the district educational officers not to consider the certificates issued by Vinayaka Mission University, Salem, Tamil Nadu and Janardhan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Rajasthan for employment, academic purposes and consequent proceedings.

These universities were offering PG courses through the distant education mode. The commissioner issued the direction based on a report given by the Higher Educational Council in July 2009 informing the school education department that the UGC had not recognised the degrees awarded by these universities. The report said that the UGC has not recognised the ex-post facto approval given by the Distant Education Council to the academic programmes of these universities.

However, Mr N. Satyanarayana and 57 other school assistants of Nalgonda district approached the APAT against the orders of the commissioner.

Senior counsel Mr S. Ramachandra Rao, while arguing before Mr Suresh Reddy, judicial member of the tribunal, on behalf of the petitioners, contended that the UGC has not mentioned in its proceedings issued on June 14, 2009 that it had not recognised the degrees awarded by the above universities.

He further contended that the ministry of human resources department issued a Gazette Notification in 1995, declaring that the qualifications awarded through distant education mode are recognised for employment to the posts and services under the Central government.

Referring to the latest decision of the Centre to de-recognise 44 deemed universities including government universities in the country, Mr Rao said that the Supreme Court stayed the operation of the proposed action till final disposal.

He argued that in the said circumstances, the impugned action was highly illegal, unjust and unwarranted. While granting interim order, the tribunal issued notices to the respondents.

AP asked to dispose OMC plea on ores

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday directed the state government to dispose of an application filed by the Bellary Iron Ore Private Limited seeking permission to lift iron ore lying in its stockyard.

Justice Gopalakrishna Tamada while dealing with a petition of the company granted three weeks to the authorities to consider the claim of the petitioner and pass appropriate orders.

It may be mentioned that the state government had issued an order recently restraining six mining companies from operations including transportation of iron ore.

The Obulapuram Mining Company challenged the government’s action before the High Court and though the order of the government was suspended, the Supreme Court stayed the same.

NGO’s plea on tribal rights admitted

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Anil R. Dave and Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy of the High Court on Monday admitted a public interest writ petition filed by Sakti, a non-governmental organisation working for tribal welfare.

The petitioner complained to the court that the law regarding protection of rights of tribals over forest lands is being defeated. The NGO while seeking a direction not to evict forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes, alleged that the whole process of recognition and vesting of forest lands is reversed by making the tribe an applicant and the authorities granting rights rather than recognising and identifying the tribe and vesting the forest rights on the basis of the official documents.

The petitioner further alleged that the authorities failed to enumerate the community lands and the present action would jeopardise the interests of all the 33 tribal communities in the area. The court granted four weeks to the authorities to respond.

HC seeks info on tender conditions

Justice N.V. Ramana of the High Court directed authorities to file an affidavit on alleged violation of tender conditions pertaining to 11 works of road widening and repairs in Khammam district under the Left Wing Extremist Area Project.

The judge was dealing with the petitions filed by one Mr K. Ramakrishna of Kisans Projects Pvt. Ltd., and two others complaining that the officials of the Roads and Buildings department had violated conditions imposed in the tender notification issued by the government on November 20.