Telangana High Court asks police not to arrest Subhash Patri

The petitioners contended that the auditorium booked for the purpose of the religious gathering could accommodate five thousand people whereas keeping in view the pandemic, only 180 people were invited.

Hyderabad: Justice K. Lakshman of the Telangana High Court on Monday directed the Kadthal Police, Ranga Reddy District to not to arrest Subhash Patri, a spiritual speaker and 10 others for having conducted a gathering on in February earlier this year. The judge was dealing with a quash petition filed by the spiritual speaker and 10 others. The petitioners contended that the auditorium booked for the purpose of the religious gathering could accommodate five thousand people whereas keeping in view the pandemic, only 180 people were invited.

The invitees followed all the Covid related norms prescribed by the government at that point like wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing. However, a crime was registered against the petitioners on the allegations that no prior permission was obtained from the Mandal Revenue Officer. To this the petitioners contended that as per the guidelines, permission was required only if 50% or above the permissible limit were attending the meeting. The petitioners pointed out that in the present case there were only 180 invitees for the gathering wherein donations for Annadata Sukhibhava programme were also sought. The judge adjourned the matter to June 16 for the authorities to file their counter.

No coercive measures

In another case, a two judge panel of the Telangana High Court comprising of the Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy on Monday directed the State Revenue Authorities including the Sub Registrar Rajendranagar and the State Waqf Board to not to take any coercive measures against A. Kumar Goud and B Lavanya, both residents of Attapur Village, Rajendranagar Mandal, Ranga Reddy District in two separate writ petitions. Both petitioners sought declaration of unilateral cancellation of their registered sale deeds by the Revenue Authorities as illegal and unconstitutional.

The petitioners constructed residential houses in their plots and were paying relevant taxes from time to time. The petitioners alleged that the State Waqf Board officials started interfering in their properties. The petitioners further alleged that the Waqf officials also started seeking illegal gratifications failing which they proclaimed that the sale deeds of the petitioners would be unilaterally cancelled by a cancellation deed in 2000 claiming it to be Waqf property. The petitioners complained that the said claim that the land was Waqf property was not available in gazette publication. The panel after hearing the arguments of Gopal Rao Amancharla, the counsel for the petitioners directed the government to file its counter within four weeks.

Commercial Taxes Commissioner asked to pay costs

A two judge panel of the Telangana High Court comprising Justice M S Ramachandra Rao and Justice T Vinod Kumar on Monday imposed a cost of Rs. 50,000 on the Commissioner of Commercial Taxes. In a writ petition filed by KMC Constructions Limited, the panel observed that various similar affidavits were filed before it. The panel opined that the same was not justifiable and even the facts placed before them were false and may amount to perjury. A sum of Rs. 4.4 crore was liable to be paid to KMC Constructions due to excess payment between 2011-2013 wherein the Joint Commissioner was directed to refund the money by the court in a previous hearing. The court has adjourned the matter to July 5 for further hearing.