Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Ramoji Rao told to appear in court

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad, Feb. 15: Justice Raja Elango of the AP High Court on Tuesday directed media baron Ch. Ramoji Rao to appear before the IVth additional chief metropolitan magistrate, Visakhapatnam, in connection with a criminal case pending against him.

The judge was dealing with a criminal petition filed by Mr Ramoji Rao challenging the order of a lower court which refused to dispense with his presence in the case and to permit him to be represented by his counsel.

Mr Vinod Kumar Deshpande, public prosecutor, brought to the notice of the court that a case was pending against Mr Ramoji Rao in the lower court. The police registered a case against him following a direction from the lower court on the complaint of Mr M.A.E.K.K. Varma on the charges of cheating.

According to the complainant, he gave his land on lease to Mr Ramoji Rao to house his newspaper, but Mr Rao, by suppressing the facts, had misrepresented to the authorities and tried to grab his property.

The judge while disposing the criminal petition directed Mr Rao to appear before the lower court on March 15 and also at the time of framing of the charges.

APIIC staffer told not to sell land

The AP High Court on Tuesday directed one Ms Rashmi Abhichandani, general manager (law) of the APIIC, not to alienate or create any third party interest on the land allotted to her by the APIIC at Jeedimetla in the city. The court was dealing with a petition by Mr P. Krishna Reddy, a practising advocate of the city challenging the allotment of a plot at a throwaway price by the APIIC to Ms Rashmi. The court issued notice to the APIIC and the general manager seeking their version on the petition.

Court stays CAT order against DGP

A division bench comprising Justice Ghulam Mohammed and Justice K.G. Shankar, on Tuesday granted a stay on the hearing of a petition challenging the appointment of Mr K. Aravinda Rao as the DGP by the Hyderabad Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal till Monday.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by the state government challenging the orders of the CAT, which dismissed its plea seeking the adjournment of hearing.

The bench while granting an interim stay on the hearing, posted the matter to Friday for admission.

One week to pay minimum wages

The senior advocate from the Supreme Court, Mr Prashanth Bhushan, on Tuesday contended before Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao of the High Court that the workers who are engaged under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGS) are being cheated and paid less than the minimum wage. He was appearing on a contempt petition filed by one Mr Ajay Kumar representing the Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union of Vishakhapatnam district. He said that any work extracted by paying less than minimum wage is bonded labour as declared by the Supreme Court.

Reacting to the arguments of the state and Central governments in this regard, the judge made it clear that the poor worker has to be paid minimum wages and the court was not bothered who is going to foot the bill.

The judge granted a week’s time to the state and the Centre to pay minimum wages to the workers.

Cops told to allow NDA rally in city

Justice R. Subhash Reddy on Tuesday directed the city police commissioner to allow a public meeting by the NDA parties at the Nizam College grounds on February 17. The judge while allowing a petition filed by Mr N. Ramachandra Rao, general secretary of the BJP state unit ruled that the meeting should not be commence before 3 pm.

The judge said the police are at liberty to regulate traffic, and entry and exits of the crowd at the ground on that day.

No comments: