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.