KA Paul’s petition on common symbol posted for listing on Nov 14

Telangana High Court's Division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice NV Shravan Kumar directed the Registry to post the matter for hearing on November 14

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday refused to grant a lunch motion in a writ petition moved by the president of Prajashanthi Party KA Paul. However, the Division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice NV Shravan Kumar directed the Registry to post the matter for hearing on November 14. The counsel representing KA Paul said that their party was denied a common symbol for contesting elections in the state. When KA Paul, who is present in person tried to intervene in court proceedings, the bench wondered how he could directly represent having engaged a counsel and refused to hear him.

Responding to the counsel’s request for an urgent hearing, the bench commented on why they were silent for all these days and approached the court on the last day of nominations and posted the matter for hearing on November 14. When KA Paul again tried to intervene stating that 119 representatives of his party would be put to a disadvantage, speaking for the bench Chief Justice said the court would have to take coercive steps if he intervened in a such way having engaged counsels.

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Warrant of appearance issued against former GHMC Commissioner

Justice P. Madhavi Devi of the Telangana High Court on Friday issued warrant of appearance to S Lokesh Kumar, Erstwhile Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, and three others in a contempt case. The judge was hearing a contempt case filed by K. Ambika who complained of willful disobedience of court orders by the authorities. Earlier, the respondent authorities rejected the application of the petitioners for building permission by holding that the property is owned by the Endowments Department. It is the case of the petitioner that the proceedings of the Deputy Collector and Tahsildar, Rajendranagar Mandal, wherein the Commissioner Endowment, mutated the revenue records in respect of land in Sy. No.387 of Attapur Village as Endowments Land and said Writ Petition has been disposed of holding that the land does not belong to the Endowments Department. He submited that this order of the High Court had not been challenged and therefore, it had become final. The court directed the petitioner to make a fresh representation to the GHMC bringing all the facts to their notice within a period of two weeks and required the GHMC to consider the same in accordance with law. It was this order, that was not complied with, and the present contempt is filed. Justice Madhavi Devi while issuing Form-I noted that earlier a show cause notice was issued in July 2022, and there is no representation from the respondents till date which is sheer disobedience of the orders of the court.

Housing Board ordered to register plots

A Division Bench of Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice NV Shravan Kumar on Friday allowed a batch of writ appeals in favour of Housing Board Corporation employees and dismissed appeals filed by the Housing Board. It is a case of petitioners that they were employees of the Board and they were allotted plots in the EWS, LIG, MIG by issuing a notification in 1986. However, later the Board changed its decision to convert the plots into flats.

Aggrieved by the same, the employees approached the High Court and a single judge had held that the Board could not take away the rights of 109 employees who had already paid the entire amount towards the plots. As such, 213 other allottees who made part payments challenged the decision in this appeal. Senior counsel L Ravichander representing some of the appellants argued that after allotting the plots, the Board could not have converted them into flats. He said allottees were incapacitated from making payments by virtue of refusal by the Court who received the enhanced amount and said the allottees cannot be penalised.

The Division Bench conceding with the submissions made by the allotees directed the Board to register the plots within 4 months from the date of receipt of the amount.