Sunday, November 28, 2010

Emaar challenges single judge ruling over ACB probe

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,Nov. 27: The Emaar Hills Township Private Limited has approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court challenging an order of a single judge who refused to stay the probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau into alleged irregularities by the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation in allotting land to the company.

The special court of the ACB on September 7, 2010, had passed an order on the complaint of one Mr T. Sri Ranga Rao, an advocate of the city to probe into the alleged irregularities in the land allotments by the APIIC to 16 organisations including Emaar.

Aggrieved by the order, Emaar approached the High Court seeking a direction to quash the proceedings. But a single judge rejected the plea on October 20, 2010. Emaar preferred an appeal against the order contending that the single judge ought to have noticed that the order of the lower court was illegal and unsustainable and was not in accordance with the provisions of the CrPC.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

AP High Court admits plea against bandhs

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,Nov. 24: A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice B. Prakash Rao and Justice V. Suri Appa Rao of the AP High Court on Wednesday admitted a plea filed by students of a school in the city against frequent bandh calls by various organisations.

The court also served the Chief Secretary a notice in this regard. SSC students of the Cardinal Gracious High School in Ramanthapur of the city sent a letter to the Chief Justice stating that they have lost their valuable time to prepare for the SSC examinations due to the bandh calls by various political parties and students organisations recently.

Students brought to the notice of the court that they could not complete the syllabus due to recent bandhs — they said there were 22 of them.

The students said that on November 11, the PDSU gave a bandh call and their head master declared a holiday for the entire schools except for SSC students. Special classes were conducted for them after closing the main gate of the school.

However, a group of persons barged into the room and forced them to leave the premises, the students said.

The students said this happens every time a bandh call is given. The students urged the court to direct the state government to give them protection during bandhs and also direct the political parties and student organisations to exempt schools from bandhs.

The court took up the letter as a petition and issued notices to the home secretary, school education department apart from the CS and sought their response to the petition.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Plea on Umesh appointment to ACB dismissed

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,Nov. 9:A division bench comprising Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru and Justice Vilas V. Afzulpurkar of the AP High Court on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition seeking a direction to declare the action of the government in appointing Mr Umesh Kumar as director-general of the Anti-Corruption Bureau as illegal.

Thadi Bhima Rao, a resident of Kakinada, filed the petition contending that Mr Umesh cannot be appointed as the chief of ACB as a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against him in 1983 when he was SP of Prakasam district.

The petitioner referred to various media reports on alleged irregularities in purchasing material for the police through the provisions and logistic department during the tenure of Mr Umesh Kumar as its head.

He said Mr Umesh Kumar was transferred from the provisions and logistic wing after the High Court passed an order against him. The petitioner urged the court to remove from the post of DG of the ACB The bench asked the petitioner to explain to the court as to where Mr Umesh has become ineligible to hold the office of ACB DG. It is on moral grounds, the counsel for petitioner replied.

The CJ pointed out, “You have no evidence to show that and are depending only on allegations levelled against the officer. Can you at least show the rules under which Umesh is ineligible to occupy the present post?”

When the petitioner was only citing the media coverage as proof for not taking action against the officer, the bench told him that he still has other remedies to exhaust his grievance and dismissed the petition.

Emaar seeks review of order

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad, Nov 9:Emaar Hills Township Pvt Ltd approached the High Court seeking revision of an order passed by a single judge dismissing its plea to stall the probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau into land allotments to it by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation.

Justice N.V. Ramana on October 21 dismissed the writ petition filed by the company challenging the order of a lower court which directed the ACB to probe into the land allotments made by the APIIC to 16 companies and individuals along with the petitioner.

Centre gets week to explain wages

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderaba,Nov 9 : Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao of the AP High Court on Monday granted a week’s time to the Centre to explain how it could declare that the wages payable to workers under the National Rural Guarantee Scheme can be lower than the wages fixed under the Minimum Wages Act.

The judge was dealing with a writ petition and contempt case filed by AP Vyavasaya Vruthidarula (Agriculture Workers) Union. The petitioners challenged the notification issued by the Centre in fixing `80 as the minimum rate payable to workers in the beginning under NREGA.

They contended that the notifications issued by the state government under Minimum Wages Act stipulated the minimum wage payable to agricultural labourers in Vishakhapatnam area as `119.

Andhra Pradesh government gets notice on belt shops

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad,Nov. 8: A division bench comprising Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru and Justice Vilas V. Afzulpurkar of the High Court on Monday issued notices to the state government and the prohibition and excise department based on a petition filed seeking a direction to close belt shops in the state.

The bench was dealing with a petition filed by Chaitanya Sravanthi, a nongovernment organisation represented by Dr Shrin Rahman. The petitioner brought to the notice of the court that the excise authorities were encouraging belt shops to achieve revenue targets.

The petitioner’s counsel Mr V. Raghu told the court that the illegal flow of liquor in the villages is playing havoc with the lives of people. He said that the petitioner’s organisation conducted a survey with the association of the Andhra University in Visakhapatnam area on the impact of liquor consumption by rural poor. According to the survey people in rural areas were spending their earnings through National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme to drink liquor.

He said that 99 per cent people admit that their families were ruined due to consumption of liquor by their heads and 96 per cent people admitted that it had an adverse impact on the education of their children.

The 59 per cent of those surveyed said the health of their alcoholic husband had already deteriorated. The petitioner said that the government which is collecting huge licence fee from liquor traders is responsible for this sorry state of affairs. The government was directed to file its counter affidavits in two weeks.