Seven-year-old’s rape case probe: Telangana High Court pulls up police

The judge expressed dissatisfaction for the delay on part of the State and expressed urgency in the matter.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Monday expressed dissatisfaction on the way in which the seven-year-old visually challenged girl’s rape case was investigated by the police. The judge was dealing with a writ plea which sought directions to the police for ensuring investigation without further traumatising the minor girl.

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The action of the Station House Officer (SHO) of Malakpet Police Station in refusing to go to the place of the minor victim to collect her statement was challenged. It was the case of the petitioner that the minor was raped by a bathroom cleaner at the blind girl children’s hostel. On an earlier occasion, the judge had directed the Government Pleader home to appear and suggest suitable arrangements to assist the minor victim. However, the assistant government pleader on Monday informed that they needed further time to respond on the matter. The judge expressed dissatisfaction for the delay on part of the State and expressed urgency in the matter. The judge stated he would issue a special order instructing the Vikarabad magistrate to promptly record the girl’s statement.

The judge also directed the government pleader to appear on the next hearing for assisting the court.

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Telangana High Court rules out RDO’s power to modify records

Hyderabad: A two judge bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao on Monday ruled that Revenue Divisional Officers have no power to recall for and examine the record of any recording authority and to modify, annul or reverse the same.

The bench was dealing with batch of writ pleas and a public interest litigation case which challenged the RDO Zaheerabad’s proceedings which directed the Tahsildar, Nyalkal Mandal to restore the revenue entries of the lands admeasuring about 50 acres, situated at Mamidigi Village, Nyalkal Mandal Sangareddy division of Medak District as Talab Cheruvu Sarkari. The case of the petitioner in the PIL was that the RDO proceedings have to be implemented and the land be restored to the Irrigation Department for restoring the tank. It was also contended that the land was illegally recorded as patta land of the unofficial respondents without there being supporting documents such as Khasra Pahani or proceedings. Shikam land was illegally converted to patta lands while deleting existing entries from all the records being maintained under the Andhra Pradesh Telangana Area Irrigation Act, the petitioners in the PIL contended.

On the other hand the patta holders of the land challenged the RDO proceedings in reversing the entries as illegal in two writ petitions. The reversal of entries after a period of 55 years in untenable, contended the writ petitioners. Moreover, the authority that was vested in the hands of the District Collector cannot be exercised by the RDO, said the writ petitioners while contending that the proceedings of the RDO in the present case are violation of the Telangana Rights In Land and Pattadar Passbooks Act. Hearing both parties at length the court held that RDO has acted without authority and accordingly the proceedings of the RDO were set aside. The bench however, made it clear that the Collector can initiate fresh proceedings. The bench also granted liberty to the writ petitioners to approach appropriate forum for establishing their title on the said lands.