The AP High Court granted interim stay on the pardon granted by the Anantapur district session court to Rammohan Reddy, accused in the murder of TD legislator Paritala Ravindra. Justice Swaroop Reddy temporarily suspended the process of recording the statement of Rammohan Reddy under Section 164 CrPC, while dealing with a petition filed by V. Rekha-maiah, another accused.
The petitioner submitted that the district sessions judge had granted pardon to Rammohan Reddy on February 11 on an application by the CBI on the condition that he reveals the murder conspiracy. The petitioner informed the court that the CBI, the investigation agency, did not record the statement of Rammohan Reddy and granted him pardon.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Land GO halted on plea of GVK Hotels
Hyderabad, Feb. 15: The AP High Court directed the government not to implement the order on handing over land at Road No 1 in Banjara Hills to the endowments department. Justice V. Eshwaraiah was dealing with a petition filed by Taj GVK Hotels and Resorts Limited challenging the orders of the Hyderabad district collector to hand over the land located adjacent to Hanuman temple in Banjara Hills to the endowments department. The petitioner submitted that the land was originally leased to Taj GVK Hotels. It was allotted to the Hanuman temple committee through the endowments department. The petitioner sought directions from the court to stop the government
AP High Court suspends civil judge for accepting ring
Hyderabad: The AP High Court has issued orders suspending Mr Rajabhushanam, senior civil judge, in Tanuku of West Godavari district, reports our correspondent. While working in the court at Nirmal in Adilabad district, Mr Rajabhushanam went to a marriage function where he was presented with a gold ring. He allegedly accepted it. The High Court appointed a judges committee which inquired into the allegation and found that Mr Rajabhushanam had accepted the ring. Based on the recommendations of the committee, the High Court issued orders of suspension.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
HC questions anger counsel: Encounter
Hyderabad, Feb. 7: Petitioners on Thursday strongly opposed the issue raised by a larger bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court constituted to deal with petitions on disclosure of names of the police personnel who participated in encounters.
The bench came out with four questions to deal with the issue.
It asked whether a police officer has committed a cognisable offence when he causes the death of a person while acting or purportedly acts to discharge his duties. It enquired if information relating to such circumstance requires to be registered as a First Information Report (FIR) obligating investigation.
The question irked the petitioners.
Bojja Tarakam, senior counsel, who appeared on behalf of the Civil Liberties, argued that the bench was trying to deal with an issue which was never raised or posed by the petitioners and not denied by the respondents.
He said it was well established and defined in the law that a culpable homicide is a cognisable offence and it was also admitted by the police in their earlier affidavits.
Justice G. Raghuram, who is heading the five-member bench, took exception to the arguments and asked Tarakam: "Do you mean that a hangman, who is also performing his duty, can also be punished?
Mr Tarakam replied that hangman is performing his duty at the end of a judicial proceeding.
The bench raised three other issues. They include whether a magisterial inquiry into the cause of death by an act of a police officer obviate the rigour of investigation and trial of such act?
The bench also asked, "Whether the State, or police is immune from an obligation to disclose the identity of a police officer, who had committed such an act, to enable an investigating officer or any person aggrieved by such death to seek justice?"
The bench decided to take up hearing from March 3 and directed the petitioners and respondents should file material papers and citations on which they relied during arguments before February 22. Senior counsel Padmanabha Reddy was appointed as amicus curiae.
The bench came out with four questions to deal with the issue.
It asked whether a police officer has committed a cognisable offence when he causes the death of a person while acting or purportedly acts to discharge his duties. It enquired if information relating to such circumstance requires to be registered as a First Information Report (FIR) obligating investigation.
The question irked the petitioners.
Bojja Tarakam, senior counsel, who appeared on behalf of the Civil Liberties, argued that the bench was trying to deal with an issue which was never raised or posed by the petitioners and not denied by the respondents.
He said it was well established and defined in the law that a culpable homicide is a cognisable offence and it was also admitted by the police in their earlier affidavits.
Justice G. Raghuram, who is heading the five-member bench, took exception to the arguments and asked Tarakam: "Do you mean that a hangman, who is also performing his duty, can also be punished?
Mr Tarakam replied that hangman is performing his duty at the end of a judicial proceeding.
The bench raised three other issues. They include whether a magisterial inquiry into the cause of death by an act of a police officer obviate the rigour of investigation and trial of such act?
The bench also asked, "Whether the State, or police is immune from an obligation to disclose the identity of a police officer, who had committed such an act, to enable an investigating officer or any person aggrieved by such death to seek justice?"
The bench decided to take up hearing from March 3 and directed the petitioners and respondents should file material papers and citations on which they relied during arguments before February 22. Senior counsel Padmanabha Reddy was appointed as amicus curiae.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
God's lands hits dams in Andhra
Andhra Pradesh government is in a fix as work has come to a grinding halt on a dozen major and minor irrigation projects following a stay issued by the AP High Court. The court had stayed the acquisition of land belonging to the temples under the control of endowments department two years ago. The court had stated: “Pending further orders, there shall be stay of all further proceedings, in relation to the acquisition of land belonging to temples all over the state, at whatever stage they are and any deviation in this regard would per se be treated as contempt of court.” Originally, the court had stayed acquisition of temple land for the Indiramma housing scheme. This has resulted in stoppage of work pertaining to irrigation projects. The projects affected due to stay include Indirasagar (Polavaram), Pulichintala, Gundlakamma reservoir, Thotapalli barrage, Jawahar Nettampadu, Koilsagar and Kalwakurthi lift irrigation schemes. The advocate-general C.V. Mohan Reddy twice made submissions before the Chief Justice to take up hearing on the miscellaneous petitions filed by the government urging the court to vacate the stay. It will take up the issue on February 5.
Unitech townships faces hurdles
Unitech, one of India’s largest real estate developer, is facing legal hurdles making an aggressive entry into the booming realty market Andhra Pradesh. It has proposed to develop two major townships in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.
Recently the company won a tender to develop a township in 1750 acres at Visakhapatnam. Former Minister and Telugu Desam leader Thammineni Seetharm filed a public interest litigation in the High Court seeking a direction to conduct probe on allotment of land to proposed Integrated Vizag Knowledge City at Kapula Uppada village in Visakhpatnam district and Integrated Airport Township in Hyderabad.The petitioner submitted the court that the Andhra Pradesh IndustrialInfrastructure Corporation has proposed to develop the knowledge City and Airport Township at Vizag and Hyderabad.He told the court that the Knowledge City was proposed to construct 1750 acres and Airport Township in 350 acres at Nadergul village of Saroornagar mandal.The petitioner alleged that the process adopted by the APIIC would hamper public interest. He also alleged that "in the guise of inviting bids by the APIIC and its Executive director were trying to knock away valuable public property through a 'real estate' transaction and cause financial loss to the exchequer.
Unitech also bagged a tender to develop a 350-acre township in Hyderabad. Pratap Karan, a retired government employee, and 15 others filed a writ petition in the court saying that they are the owners of the 373.22 acres of land in Nadergul village of Saroornagar mandal of Ranga Reddy district. The petitioners challeneged the notification of the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation calling tenders for allotting 373 acres of land to private parties for setting up a township.
The petitioner submitted to the court that the land belonged to late Raja Shivraj Dharmavat Bahadur. After his demise succession was granted to Dhiraj Karan, Dharm Karan, and Mahaboob Karan in 1917. The land is adjacent to the Hardware Park. Unitech, one of India’s largest real estate developers, reportedly entered into an agreement with the state government to develop an integrated airport township on the land.
The petitioner said an appeal was pending in the High Court over the title of the land. In spite, the government issued a notification, inviting bids to sell out the land. The petitioner alleged that the state is trying to dispossess them.
Recently the company won a tender to develop a township in 1750 acres at Visakhapatnam. Former Minister and Telugu Desam leader Thammineni Seetharm filed a public interest litigation in the High Court seeking a direction to conduct probe on allotment of land to proposed Integrated Vizag Knowledge City at Kapula Uppada village in Visakhpatnam district and Integrated Airport Township in Hyderabad.The petitioner submitted the court that the Andhra Pradesh IndustrialInfrastructure Corporation has proposed to develop the knowledge City and Airport Township at Vizag and Hyderabad.He told the court that the Knowledge City was proposed to construct 1750 acres and Airport Township in 350 acres at Nadergul village of Saroornagar mandal.The petitioner alleged that the process adopted by the APIIC would hamper public interest. He also alleged that "in the guise of inviting bids by the APIIC and its Executive director were trying to knock away valuable public property through a 'real estate' transaction and cause financial loss to the exchequer.
Unitech also bagged a tender to develop a 350-acre township in Hyderabad. Pratap Karan, a retired government employee, and 15 others filed a writ petition in the court saying that they are the owners of the 373.22 acres of land in Nadergul village of Saroornagar mandal of Ranga Reddy district. The petitioners challeneged the notification of the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation calling tenders for allotting 373 acres of land to private parties for setting up a township.
The petitioner submitted to the court that the land belonged to late Raja Shivraj Dharmavat Bahadur. After his demise succession was granted to Dhiraj Karan, Dharm Karan, and Mahaboob Karan in 1917. The land is adjacent to the Hardware Park. Unitech, one of India’s largest real estate developers, reportedly entered into an agreement with the state government to develop an integrated airport township on the land.
The petitioner said an appeal was pending in the High Court over the title of the land. In spite, the government issued a notification, inviting bids to sell out the land. The petitioner alleged that the state is trying to dispossess them.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
State, Reliance get High Court notice for choking waterbodies
The Andhra Pradesh High Court issued notices to the Central and state governments and Reliance Industries on a petition that charged the oil giant with choking protected streams and creeks. The petitioner, Venkataramana Matsyakara Sankshema Seva Sangham, alleged that Reliance is dumping construction materials into several streams and creeks including a major creek, Mandara Kalva, at Gadimoga in East Godavari district.
The Venkataramana Matsyakara Sankshema Seva Sangham said the government allotted 87 hectares to Reliance to construct an offshore block to transport crude oil extracted from the KG basin. The land is situated within a prohibited zone near a bird sanctuary. The petitioner also alleged that Reliance has started construction activity beyond the 87 hectares, filling up creeks and streams and destroying mangrove forests. The court was told that a Coastal Regulatory Zone notification prohibited any interference with creeks near the shore. The petitioner urged the court to direct the respondents to remove the materials dumped in the creeks and other waterbodies. A division bench comprising Chief Justice A.R. Dave and Justice Meena Kumari directed the respondents to file their counter affidavits before February 13.
The Venkataramana Matsyakara Sankshema Seva Sangham said the government allotted 87 hectares to Reliance to construct an offshore block to transport crude oil extracted from the KG basin. The land is situated within a prohibited zone near a bird sanctuary. The petitioner also alleged that Reliance has started construction activity beyond the 87 hectares, filling up creeks and streams and destroying mangrove forests. The court was told that a Coastal Regulatory Zone notification prohibited any interference with creeks near the shore. The petitioner urged the court to direct the respondents to remove the materials dumped in the creeks and other waterbodies. A division bench comprising Chief Justice A.R. Dave and Justice Meena Kumari directed the respondents to file their counter affidavits before February 13.
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