Telangana Wakf Board awaits GHMC cash

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | S A ISHAQUI

Published May 30, 2016, 12:43 am IST

Updated May 30, 2016, 12:43 am IST

GHMC yet to pay compensation for properties taken over by it.

 The corporation has been acquiring Wakf lands for road widening and other things since many years but has hardly paid any compensation.

Hyderabad: The apathy of the State Wakf Board has cost it about Rs 400 crore in compensation from the GHMC.
The corporation has been acquiring Wakf lands for road widening and other things since many years but has hardly paid any compensation. Sources said that the claims of compensation have been pending for two decades and none of the officers of the Board has bothered to recover it from the civic body, apart from sending out reminders.
Citing an example of a property located in Begumpet where the City Police Commissioner’s Task Force Office was housed earlier, sources said parts of the property were acquired in 1999 and 2006 for road widening and recently for a third time for Metro Rail.
The Board got Rs 27 lakh as compensation for the land acquired for Metro Rail. Compensation claims for land acquired on the earlier two occasions are still pending with the GHMC.
Several properties belonging to the Wakf Board in the Afzalgunj-Yerragadda stretch were acquired by the GHMC for road widening, including the maqbara of Faqrul Mulk at Ameerpet, and for Metro Rail.
Compensation of Rs 1,85 crore was deposited to the Board for only one property and also in the name of a self-styled mutawalli. Former Board member Altaf Hyder Rizvi said that 650 cases of compensation were pending with the GHMC.
When contacted Mr Asadullah, CEO of the Wakf Board, said that in many of the cases, the GHMC had acquired Wakf land without notice to the Board, which was illegal.
When the Board and the special secretary of the minority welfare department brought this to the notice of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, he instructed the GHMC to sort out the issue and pay compensation.
The GHMC informed the Board that it had paid compensation in some of the cases to mutawallis to which the Board objected; mutawallis were caretakers of properties and the Board owned the property.
The GHMC had also claimed that some properties were acquired by invoking Sections 145 and 146 of the GHMC Act which empower the corporation to acquire properties with mutual consent of the property owners, Mr Rizvi added.
He said, “In such cases too, notice and written mutual consent are mandated and that is why we sought the GHMC to furnish copies of notices and mutual consent letters to the Board. We are yet to receive the copies; after receiving them the Board will represent to the government for recovery of compensation.”

Telangana asks Centre to intervene in allocating judicial officers

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published May 26, 2016, 1:33 am IST

S A Ishaqui

Union law minister asked not to process judges recommendations.

 Telangana told minister that out of nine persons recommended for the post of High Court judges, only three were from Telangana.

Hyderabad: The TS has sought intervention of the Union Law Minister in allocation of subordinate judicial officers between AP and TS and also in appointment of judges to the High Court.
Special Representatives of the TS government in Delhi, S. Venugopala Chary and Ramachandra Tejawat, met Law Minister Sadananda Gowda and submitted a representation.
During the meeting, both the representatives complained to the minister that neither the Governor nor the Acting Chief Justice consulted the TS Chief Minister while recommending nine names for the appointment of High Court judges. However they consulted the AP Chief Minister.
Through the representation, they brought to the notice of Mr Gowda that, knowing fully well that Acting Chief Justice is on transfer by elevating him to the post of Chief Justice and another judge, Justice G. Chandraiah is retiring soon, the collegium met on April 30, 2016 and recommended nine names of judicial officers and advocates for posts of judges of High Court.
They told the minister that out of nine persons recommended for the post of High Court judges, only three were from Telangana. Referring to recent provisional allocation of subordinate judicial officers between both states, they said that 95 officers of district judge cadre were allotted to Telangana state, of whom 46 are natives of AP.
The special representatives said that as against 140 district judge cadre posts in AP only 110 officers were allocated, leaving 30 vacancies. Similarly, allocations were made leaving vacancies in the cadre of senior civil judges and junior civil judges.
They urged Mr Gowda not to accord sanction or process the judges’ recommendations unless the TS Chief Minister is also consulted on the issue. They requested that steps be taken to rectify the situation. After the meeting, Mr  Chary and Mr Tejawat said that Mr Gowda responded positively and promised that he will examine the matter.
Meanwhile T-Advocates JAC on Wednesday announced that it would launch a massive state-wide agitation from June 1 for creation of a separate High Court for AP and also in protest against provisional allocation of judicial officers among both states.
T. Sriranga Rao, Goverdhan Reddy and other leaders of TAJAC on Wednesday said that the Centre has been showing discrimination against TS in all aspects, including power, irrigation projects and bifurcation of the Common High Court.
Claiming that BJP and Congress leaders of TS were responsible for the affairs prevailing in the state, they demanded that the Centre take immediate steps to constitute separate High Court for AP.
While recalling the assurance given by Mr Gowda during his visit to Hyderabad that the Centre would take immediate steps for separation of Common High Court, the TAJAC leaders alleged that the Centre betrayed the Telangana people.
Mr Sriranga Rao demanded that the Centre bring out an ordinance if necessary for establishment of separate High Court for AP similar to what was done earlier in merger of seven mandals of TS with AP.
The TAJAC leaders warned the Centre that a massive agitation will be launched from June 1 along with employees of judiciary and judicial officers if the Centre fails to take steps to constitute the separate High Court and rectify the provisional allocation of subordinate judicial officers.

Telangana, AP bifurcation: Judicial officers want fair divide

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | S A ISHAQUI

Published May 15, 2016, 2:51 am IST

Updated May 15, 2016, 3:08 am IST

Telangana judicial officers say that the provisional list was prepared based on majority opinion.

 Now judicial officers have decided to protest against their allocations. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: For the first time in the history of the judiciary of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state, TS subordinate judicial officers have resolved to take up a massive agitation against the allocation of subordinate judicial officers between the two Telugu states.
After the bifurcation Andhra Pradesh, the allocations of All India Service Officers, employees of universities and power utilities of both states landed in legal tangles. Now judicial officers have decided to protest against their allocations.
Sources close to the Telangana Judicial Officers Association said that juridical officers had decided go on mass casual leave if the registry refuses to prepare a fresh list as the present allocation is contrary to the guidelines issued by the High Court on February 26, 2016 and to Sections 77 to 79 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Telangana AP bifurcation (Infographics)

They also resolved to express their dissatisfaction against the allocation by wearing black badges during lunch hours from June 3 in front of their respective courts. The association has authorised the executive committee to decide on the date to go on the mass casual leave.
The Telangana judicial officers say that the provisional list was prepared based on majority opinion in a full court meeting held on April 30, 2016 ignoring the guidelines and the provisions of the Act.
They are of the opinion that the surplus allocation of non-local candidates in the state will hamper the chances of the younger generation of TS aspirants to enter judicial service as vacancies will arise only after five to six years if this provisional allocation is allowed.
Sources revealed that the main contention of the judicial officers was that no Act, statue, rule or guideline permitted the High Court to allocate purely on the basis of options without regard to their place of birth or nativity.
They are of the opinion that the allotment appeared to be an arithmetic exercise, not scientifically done either on the basis of 60:40 or 48: 52 ratios as specified in the bifurcation Act.
They point out that the first guideline of the High Court is: “The allocation shall be done in the order of seniority as available on June 2, 2014. Preference shall be given first to those who have opted for the state in which the district declared by them at the time of entering into service.”
The third guideline specifies: “If still there are vacancies in one state and officers are found to be in surplus in another state, they shall be allotted to either of the states at the discretion of the Chief Justice.”

NEET has no clarity on dealing with quotas

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | S A ISHAQUI

Published May 2, 2016, 12:58 am IST

Updated May 2, 2016, 2:50 am IST

Quotas vary between states, MCI silent on handling them.

 The Medical Council of India notifications issued in 2010 and 2012 to hold Neet for medical and dental college admissions stipulated that reservation of seats for the respective categories will be done as per prevailing laws. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: With the Supreme Court ordering repeatedly that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Neet) would cover all medical and dental college seats countrywide, confusion prevails over the status of state-level reservation quotas.
The Medical Council of India notifications issued in 2010 and 2012 to hold Neet for medical and dental college admissions stipulated that reservation of seats for the respective categories will be done as per prevailing laws. There was no specific mention of the reservation quota in individual states — each state has its own specific quota requirements. Tamil Nadu has 69 per cent reservation which is protected by the 9th Schedule of the Constitution, Maharashtra 52 per cent while Karnataka, AP and TS have 50 per cent.
In AP and Telangana, the 50 per cent quota includes the 4-per cent for Muslims.
Besides, each state has its own pecularities. The Reddy community is in the general category in TS and AP, but is listed as a Backward Class in Karnataka. It is not clear if a student from the Reddy community from AP or TS can claim reservation in Karnataka. Similarly, Muslims get  four per cent quota in TS and AP. It has not been clarified in the Neet order if a Muslim student from TS and AP can claim a seat in the general pool in.

Now, the MCI said private college management should participate in the national pool for Neet by submitting 15 per cent of their seats. College managements and parents of medical aspirants have no idea how the 85 per cent of seats would be filled.
Now, out of 100 seats in a private college, half the seats form part of the convener quota for merit students. There is a 35 per cent management quota, and a 15 per cent is NRI quota. The MCI has not said how these quotas will be adjusted.
Legal experts wait to see how states react
Legal experts are waiting to see how the Medical Council of India goes ahead with a common nationwide admission process when each state has its own set of rules. High Court advocate S. Sriram, who has studied Medical Council of India matters, pointed out that so far there was no clarity with regard to the reservation and admission process. He said, “While a common entrance test and transparent admission process is welcome, hasty implementation of a policy that lacks clarity would only create confusion among students.”
Maintaining that special status accorded to TS and AP has to be looked into while bringing them under the purview of Neet, Mr Sriram said, “The requirements of the Presidential Order and the implications of Section 95 of the AP Reorganisation Act need to be looked into.”
The Presidential Order provides for “regional equalities” for students between  TS and AP. Dr N Appa Rao of the Indian Medical Association, who secured a stay of the Neet notification in 2011-12, said local students would suffer if both government did not resist Neet.
He said a majority of students in the two Telugu states are strong in the biological science stream whereas students from northern states are better prepared in physics and chemistry. This could render the results askew. He reminded that in 2012, the then AP High Court had stayed Neet in undivided AP after considering the fact that the provisions in the MCI notification for Neet were in violation of the special status granted to the state.
Telangana Private Medical and Dental Colleges Association president C. Lakshmi Narasimha Rao said the group will hold its own entrance test this year to fill B category seats.Vice-chairman Syed Azaz-Ur-Rahman of the Shadan Educational Society, which runs the Shadan Medical College, said, “We and Owaisi Medical College made admissions based on Eamcet rankings without conducting a separate test, though we have the right to hold the test.
This time we await the final outcome of the hearings on Neet in the Supreme Court.” He said, “We are told that state rankings will be awarded by taking state as a unit in the results of the Neet.”