The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the Director General of Police to ‘consider the incident (of preventing BRS legislators from entering Assembly on September 7) and identify the officials who misbehaved/manhandled the women legislators. 

Justice T. Madhavi Devi of the High Court, modifying an earlier order passed on September 7 in a petition filed by BRS Legislature Party, also directed the DGP to furnish a report on the incident to the Speaker for necessary action. The judge instructed the DGP to submit a report on the incident to the bench if it happened outside the precincts of the Assembly i.e. , at the entry point of the Assembly. 

The BRSLP moved the HC on September 7 when their members were prevented by the police from entering the Assembly at the main entry point on the first day of Assembly’s eighth session. Justice Madhavi Devi passed an order the same evening directing the authorities not to stop legislators from entering the Assembly from the next day. 

Clarifying that it was for the Speaker and not the police to take action if any Rules of the Assembly were violated. The judge also directed the DGP to identify erring police officials in the incident, take strict action against them and report to the bench. Seeking vacation of this order, the Hyderabad Police Commissioner filed an interim application along with a counter affidavit. 

Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy, presenting his contentions, said while police requested the BRS legislators not to enter Assembly wearing black T-shirts containing slogans, BRS MLA T. Harish Rao threatened police personnel. BRS MLA K.T. Rama Rao made objectionable and insensitive comments targeting the women police personnel. When women legislators were allowed to step inside the Assembly, MLAs D. Sudheer Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar, Padi Kaushik Reddy, T. Harish Rao and others attempted to force their way into the Assembly hiding behind, the AG said. 

The AG submitted that many legislators took off their T shirts in front of women police personnel which was objectionable. These acts at the entry gate of the Assembly fell within the meaning of the ‘precincts of the House’, the AG said. Referring to Hyderabad Police Commissioner’s contention that BRS legislators violated the prohibitory orders, the judge said the First Information Report issued over the incident did not mention any such violation. 

Even the prohibitory orders were against public meetings or process near or around 4 km radius of Assembly. There was no bar against entry of MLAs into Assembly or Council, the judge noted. The authorities did not explain as to why the women legislators were taken to BRS Bhavan when they did not violate any directives of the Speaker. 

There was no allegation or evidence that women legislators also misbehaved with the police, the order said. 

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Monday asked the Election Commission of India to consider a petitioner’s request to provide enumeration forms during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Urdu in constituencies having 20% or more population conversant in that language. 

Observing that the courts usually do not interfere with the decisions of the ECI, the judge sought to know from the ECI counsel what decision was taken on the same issue in the States of Assam, Bihar and West Bengal. The judge was hearing a petition filed by a social worker from Karimnagar district questioning the supply of enumeration forms printed exclusively in Telugu. 

During the previous hearing, ECI counsel Avinash Desai sought time to secure instructions on the points raised by the petitioner. When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, he informed the bench that enumeration forms were printed in Telugu in Telangana since it was the official language of the State. However, forms in English language were being provided to the electors in the areas of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), he said. 

In an earlier meeting convened by the Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana, it was unanimously decided to print forms in English for Hyderabad district since it was convenient for the voters. Since a considerable number of people in Hyderabad speak Urdu, Booth Level Officers were directed to carry five to 10 dummy enumeration forms in Urdu as well for the benefit of those speaking Urdu to fill up the forms. 

Senior counsel V. Raghunath appearing for the petitioner contended that providing dummy forms in Urdu on request would be against the spirit of the Constitutional provisions. The ECI counsel said that issuing directions to print enumeration forms in three languages would be burdensome for the State ex-chequer. The petitioner’s counsel said it was the right of the electors to secure forms in the language they speak. 

The matter was adjourned after a week for next hearing. 

Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court on Thursday will hear two writ petitions filed by the State Bank of India challenging the sale of its five acres of land through e-auction by the State government.

The SBI filed the two petitions by way of lunch motions two days ago seeking direction to set aside the sale of land located at Hyderabad Knowledge Centre in Raidurg of Rangareddy district. The judge directed the registry to list the pleas for Thursday after the Special Government Pleader Rahul Reddy sought time to secure instructions in the matter.

Senior counsels B.S. Prasad and N. Venkatraman appeared for SBI. They contended that in 2010 the then government of the undivided Andhra Pradesh State allotted five acres of land at Raidurg to the State Bank of Hyderabad (which eventually got merged with the SBI) for construction of office and other complex. The SBH paid sale consideration of ₹ 13.33 crore and other fees following which the allotment letter was issued by the then AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited.

An agreement for sale of land with certain terms was executed between the APIIC and the SBH to this extent in 2011. The SBI counsels said a bank branch office building and three ATM centres were built on the said land and further timelines for construction of buildings as per the terms in the agreement were submitted to the government.

However, on January 22, 2021, the government issued proceedings cancelling the allotment of the land. The SBI moved the HC which had set aside the cancellation memo and directed the government to consider the request of the bank and pass appropriate orders. According to the SBI counsels, the cancellation proceedings issued by the government in 2021 ceased to exist in the eyes of the law in the backdrop of the HC order.

In another writ petition filed by the bank, the HC directed the government to consider the request of the bank for initiation of steps for implementation of the project of building office at the site. The government went for an appeal in the matter but the HC affirmed the earlier orders, according to the bank.

Meanwhile, the government issued e-auction notice for sale of the land on this May 6 and the land was sold off, the SBI contended.

The Telangana High Court on Friday said that it would not hesitate to summon the Chief Secretary if appropriate orders were not passed over allotting five acres of government land to the School Education department for construction of government school at Hanumannagar in Tarnaka of Hyderabad. 

Justice Suddala Chalapathi Rao of the HC vacation bench, after hearing a writ petition filed by some parents of the school students, said the decision in the matter should be taken by next date of hearing. The petitioners informed the bench that the present school was being run from the D type quarters of the Telangana Dairy Development Co-operative Federation at Tarnaka. 

The petitioners contended that the two quarters lacked basic amenities due to which the children were being put to difficulties. The parents of the schoolchildren and members of the the Vijaya Dairy Prabhutva Patashala Shashvatha Bhavana Sadhana Samithi represented to the government to allot two A type quarters to run the school. 

The two A type quarters were vacant since the federation operations were shifted to Ravirala village on city outskirts. Originally, the government school was at Seetafalmandi. It was shifted in 1961 to Tarnaka based on the request of the federation to cater to the educational needs of its children and those living in the localities surrounding Tarnaka. 

Since the federation shifted its activities to Ravirala, majority of the 42 acres of land belonging to it at Tarnaka was lying unutilised. The Telangana government had taken a policy decision to construction 100 Public Schools. Five acres of the same land of the federation can be earmarked for the construction of one such Public School by upgrading the Seetafalmandi school presently being run from Tarnaka, the petitioners contended.