By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, June 23 : The AP High Court has suspended the operation of a GO issued by the state government that had set aside land for construction of a thermal power plant at Sompeta in Srikakulam district.
With this the Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) received another blow as the National Environment Appellate Authority had earlier quashed the environment clearance granted to the plant by the Centre.
Meanwhile on Thursday, the 567th day of the relay hunger strike launched against the power project, the villagers of the area and members of the Paryavarana Parirakshana Samiti rejoiced and welcomed the interim orders of the High Court.
The villagers claimed that it was a great victory for the people who had been agitating against the proposed power plant for many years.
The state government had alienated 972.69 acres of land, locally known as “Beela” land, to the NCC to set up a 2640 MW coal-based thermal power plant through a GO on September 15, 2008. It had claimed that the lands were waste lands.
While admitting a plea by local farmers, Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao made it clear that as the GO was suspended, the land should not be used for other purposes.
The local farmers had been against the plant as they said that they would lose their livelihood if the plant was set up. During their agitation, two farmers had been killed in police firing on July 14, 2010.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Rajus get 1week to give staff names
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,June 15: Justice Ravishankar of the AP High Court on Wednesday directed the disgraced chairman of Satyam Computers, B. Ramalinga Raju, and his brother B. Rama Raju to provide within a week the names of the Satyam employees for cross-examination.
The judge was dealing with a petition filed by Raju brothers challenging the orders of the trial court which rejected their plea to direct the CBI to furnish certain documents pertaining to the Satyam scam. The CBI has been opposing the plea saying that the documents were irrelevant. Mr T. Niranjan Reddy, counsel for the CBI, said Ramalinga Raju and his brother are seeking the service details of 52,000 employees, furnishing of which was not an easy task.
Mr Nalin Kumar, counsel for Ramalinga Raju, told the court that certain employees deposed against his clients in the trial court charging the Rajus with allotting shares of the company in an unlawful form to certain individuals. He said that they want to cross examine them and for that they need certain documents The judge after hearing both the parties directed the Rajus to tell the court within a week as to who were the employees they wish to cross examine and also the details of the documents they were seeking. The Supreme Court earlier fixed July 31 as deadline for the trial court to complete the trial in the Satyam case. The trial court is moving ahead with the trial at a brisk pace. The CBI too has reduced its list of witnesses and completed the job of producing their versions before the trial court.
Hyderabad,June 15: Justice Ravishankar of the AP High Court on Wednesday directed the disgraced chairman of Satyam Computers, B. Ramalinga Raju, and his brother B. Rama Raju to provide within a week the names of the Satyam employees for cross-examination.
The judge was dealing with a petition filed by Raju brothers challenging the orders of the trial court which rejected their plea to direct the CBI to furnish certain documents pertaining to the Satyam scam. The CBI has been opposing the plea saying that the documents were irrelevant. Mr T. Niranjan Reddy, counsel for the CBI, said Ramalinga Raju and his brother are seeking the service details of 52,000 employees, furnishing of which was not an easy task.
Mr Nalin Kumar, counsel for Ramalinga Raju, told the court that certain employees deposed against his clients in the trial court charging the Rajus with allotting shares of the company in an unlawful form to certain individuals. He said that they want to cross examine them and for that they need certain documents The judge after hearing both the parties directed the Rajus to tell the court within a week as to who were the employees they wish to cross examine and also the details of the documents they were seeking. The Supreme Court earlier fixed July 31 as deadline for the trial court to complete the trial in the Satyam case. The trial court is moving ahead with the trial at a brisk pace. The CBI too has reduced its list of witnesses and completed the job of producing their versions before the trial court.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Jagan challenges petitions filed against him
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,June 7: The Kadapa MP and YSR Congress president, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday submitted before the Andhra Pradesh High Court that all the petitions filed against him are desperate attempts of politically motivated elements. He filed counter affidavits on petitions filed against him by the textile minister, Mr P. Shankar Rao, TD leaders and also Mr Sherwani, a practising advocate from Kadapa by urging the court to look at the fact that all the petitions were singularly targeted against him.
Mr Shankar Rao and TD leaders filed different petitions against Mr Jagan seeking a CBI probe into his wealth by misusing the official position of his father Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy when he was the Chief Minster. Mr Jagan told the court that the petitioners Mr Shankar Rao and the TD leaders were purposefully misleading the court over the role of enforcement directorate (ED) in the complaints against him. He said the ED was seized of the matter and the petitioners knew it and despite this they did not disclose that aspect before the court.
He contended that since it may influence the ongoing ED inquiry, he would not make any statement on that aspect and would confine himself to the issue of maintainability of these petitions. He argued in his affidavit that the petitioners alleged corruption took place during his father’s tenure as CM, but they did not point out who are the ministers, secretaries and other authorities who supported such an alleged corruption. By pointing out collective responsibility in a government, he said that the petitioners who kept quiet from 2004 to 2009, are now pointing their fingers towards his father who is not alive to answer their charges.
Mr Jagan further contended that while no action or decision of any authority was challenged, the writ petition against private persons was not maintainable. He submitted to the court that he has been doing business since 1999 when his father was not in power. Sandur power, Classic Realty, Jagathi Publications, owned by Mr Jagan also filed their counters in the case.
BC groups demand ABCD classification
A writ petition was filed in the AP High Court on Tuesday seeking a direction to implement classification of A, B, C and D groups in implementing reservations for Backward Classes, while conducting elections to panchayat raj bodies in the state in accordance with the recommendations of the Anantha Raman Commission. Mr U. Sambashiva Rao, a social activist and Mr U.V. Chakravarthi, president of AP Most Backward Classes Committee filed the petition.
They told the court that the Anantha Raman Commission recommended the classification of the Backward Classes into A, B, C and D groups, which was accepted by the government through GO Ms No. 1793 dated September 23, 1970 to provide reservations in educational institutions and employment. They said that the percentage was apportioned into 7 per cent, 10 per cent, 1 per cent and 7 per cent among four groups, for equal distribution of 25 per cent according to the population of the respective groups. They brought to the notice of the court that by suppressing the earlier GO, the government issued another GO in 2006 by providing 34 per cent reservation to Backward Classes in Gram Panchayat, Mandal Parishads and Zilla Parishads and territorial constituencies of the districts without classifying them into groups.
They contended that the rules providing 34 per cent reservation for BCs in the local bodies under AP Panchayat Raj Act, has to be implemented taking the classification into account as recommended by the Anantha Raman Commission. The petitioners urged the court grant stay on the election process of the local bodies till the classification of the reservations.
AP seeks time to adjudicate Alok plea
The state government on Tuesday sought time from the High Court to adjudicate a petition filed by it challenging the judgement of the Central Administrative Tribunal passed on the plea of senior IPS officer Mr Alok Srivastava. Mr Alok filed an application before the tribunals challenging the IPS pay rules and the method adopted to fix the pay. The tribunal clubbed the petition with another petition by Mr. P. Gautam Kumar, principal secretary to home department challenging the appointment of Mr. Aravinda Rao as the DGP and passed a common order.
Hyderabad,June 7: The Kadapa MP and YSR Congress president, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday submitted before the Andhra Pradesh High Court that all the petitions filed against him are desperate attempts of politically motivated elements. He filed counter affidavits on petitions filed against him by the textile minister, Mr P. Shankar Rao, TD leaders and also Mr Sherwani, a practising advocate from Kadapa by urging the court to look at the fact that all the petitions were singularly targeted against him.
Mr Shankar Rao and TD leaders filed different petitions against Mr Jagan seeking a CBI probe into his wealth by misusing the official position of his father Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy when he was the Chief Minster. Mr Jagan told the court that the petitioners Mr Shankar Rao and the TD leaders were purposefully misleading the court over the role of enforcement directorate (ED) in the complaints against him. He said the ED was seized of the matter and the petitioners knew it and despite this they did not disclose that aspect before the court.
He contended that since it may influence the ongoing ED inquiry, he would not make any statement on that aspect and would confine himself to the issue of maintainability of these petitions. He argued in his affidavit that the petitioners alleged corruption took place during his father’s tenure as CM, but they did not point out who are the ministers, secretaries and other authorities who supported such an alleged corruption. By pointing out collective responsibility in a government, he said that the petitioners who kept quiet from 2004 to 2009, are now pointing their fingers towards his father who is not alive to answer their charges.
Mr Jagan further contended that while no action or decision of any authority was challenged, the writ petition against private persons was not maintainable. He submitted to the court that he has been doing business since 1999 when his father was not in power. Sandur power, Classic Realty, Jagathi Publications, owned by Mr Jagan also filed their counters in the case.
BC groups demand ABCD classification
A writ petition was filed in the AP High Court on Tuesday seeking a direction to implement classification of A, B, C and D groups in implementing reservations for Backward Classes, while conducting elections to panchayat raj bodies in the state in accordance with the recommendations of the Anantha Raman Commission. Mr U. Sambashiva Rao, a social activist and Mr U.V. Chakravarthi, president of AP Most Backward Classes Committee filed the petition.
They told the court that the Anantha Raman Commission recommended the classification of the Backward Classes into A, B, C and D groups, which was accepted by the government through GO Ms No. 1793 dated September 23, 1970 to provide reservations in educational institutions and employment. They said that the percentage was apportioned into 7 per cent, 10 per cent, 1 per cent and 7 per cent among four groups, for equal distribution of 25 per cent according to the population of the respective groups. They brought to the notice of the court that by suppressing the earlier GO, the government issued another GO in 2006 by providing 34 per cent reservation to Backward Classes in Gram Panchayat, Mandal Parishads and Zilla Parishads and territorial constituencies of the districts without classifying them into groups.
They contended that the rules providing 34 per cent reservation for BCs in the local bodies under AP Panchayat Raj Act, has to be implemented taking the classification into account as recommended by the Anantha Raman Commission. The petitioners urged the court grant stay on the election process of the local bodies till the classification of the reservations.
AP seeks time to adjudicate Alok plea
The state government on Tuesday sought time from the High Court to adjudicate a petition filed by it challenging the judgement of the Central Administrative Tribunal passed on the plea of senior IPS officer Mr Alok Srivastava. Mr Alok filed an application before the tribunals challenging the IPS pay rules and the method adopted to fix the pay. The tribunal clubbed the petition with another petition by Mr. P. Gautam Kumar, principal secretary to home department challenging the appointment of Mr. Aravinda Rao as the DGP and passed a common order.
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