Telangana High Court orders fresh mop-up counselling for TGEAPCET amid seat dispute

Telangana High Court has directed the State Education Department and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to conduct a fresh mop-up round of TGEAPCET 2024-25 counselling for engineering courses for the academic year 2024-25.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court has directed the State Education Department and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to conduct a fresh mop-up round of TGEAPCET 2024-25 counselling for engineering courses for the academic year 2024-25. This decision comes after a series of writ appeals were filed challenging the state authorities’ handling of admissions for various engineering institutions. The bench, consisting of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao, addressed the appeals from the Vidya Jyothi Educational Society and other entities. These appeals contested the rejection of 280 seats in the B.Tech-CSE course, which included a merger of 60 seats and an additional intake of 120 seats. The seats in question had been approved by the AICTE and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) for the spot admission process. It is brought to the notice of court that out of 7O educational institutions, in respect of 56 institutions, the permission to increase the intake capacity has been granted and the educational institutions run by the appellants alone have been subjected to hostile discrimination. The appellants argued that the state authorities had improperly dismissed these additional intake seats, leading to the rejection of a fresh mop-up round of counselling. They contended that the admissions process had not been completed adequately, and the course had not yet commenced fully, thus warranting the opportunity for a mop-up round. Previously, a single judge of the Telangana High Court had dismissed the plea for additional intake and a new counselling round, citing that admissions were already finalized and the course had started. However, the two-judge bench overturned this decision after reviewing the case. In its order, the bench directed that all engineering institutions should be notified of the courses they offer with full intake capacity for the fresh mop-up round.

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Hyderabad: Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court has ordered the appearance of the Punjagutta Sub-Registrar in a case concerning the registration of an inter-faith marriage. The case involves a Hindu woman and a Muslim man, S. Vaidehi and Shaik Shujauiddin, whose marriage registration has been stalled due to objections raised by the woman’s parents. The court’s intervention came after the sub-registrar failed to process the marriage registration application despite the couple fulfilling all legal requirements. Justice Kumar’s decision to summon the sub-registrar was prompted by the sub-registrar’s inaction and the subsequent failure of the girl’s parents to appear in court after being impleaded in the matter. Previously, the judge had ordered the impleadment of the girl’s parents to address their objections to the marriage registration. However, the parents did not attend the hearings, leading to delays. Additionally, the government pleader had repeatedly sought adjournments without providing clear instructions or updates on the case. Upon summoning the sub-registrar, Justice Kumar questioned the official about the legality of keeping the marriage registration application pending. The judge sought an explanation for the delay and the refusal to process the application in accordance with the law. Following a thorough examination, the sub-registrar gave an undertaking to act in accordance with legal requirements to process the application for the marriage registration. With this assurance, the judge disposed of the writ plea, directing that the application be processed promptly.

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Hyderabad: Justice K. Lakshman of the Telangana High Court has issued an interim order directing civic authorities to halt any further demolition of villas in Mallampet, Dundigal. This order comes in response to a writ petition filed by Sri Laxmi Nivas Constructions, which challenged recent demolition actions taken by the authorities. The controversy centers around over 90 villas constructed in the Mallampet area. The petitioner, Sri Laxmi Nivas Constructions, claims that on Sunday, a demolition squad arrived unannounced and proceeded to demolish 15 villas. The authorities justified the demolition on the grounds that these villas were situated within a designated buffer zone. The petitioner contends that this demolition is in violation of previous orders issued by the High Court concerning the area. According to the writ petition, the demolition was executed based on a factually incorrect premise, which has led to significant distress and loss for the property owners. Justice Lakshman’s interim order directed the civic authorities to refrain from further demolition activities until the matter is fully resolved.