Andhra Pradesh High Court frowns over govt attempt to transfer staff without consulting it
Andhra Pradesh High Court
Nelapadu(Guntur district): Advocate General S Sriram apologised to the High Court here on Wednesday on the letter issued by the State government transferring the personnel of Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal (APAT) who are on deputation to the High Court without consulting the High Court.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N Jayasurya was hearing the petition on the transfer of the staff on deputation without consulting the High Court registry.
The Advocate General appealed to the Division Bench that the letter should be considered as withdrawn as the government was discussing the issue with the High Court registry. Considering the representation, the bench on Tuesday posted the further hearing on the petition to January 2.
It may be recalled that about 70 personnel of Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal have been working in the High Court on deputation after the APAT was abolished.
Advocate Gudapati Lakshminarayana filed a writ petition in the High Court after the State government started proceedings transferring all the 70 personnel to various departments.
The Division Bench expressed ire over the government for withdrawing the personnel without consulting the High Court in April this year.
The bench hearing the arguments of the petitioner said that these personnel have been working in the High Court since 2019. "How could the State government take a decision to transfer them without consulting the High Court? How could the employees write letters directly to the State government? In such cases, there would be disciplinary action against them," the bench stated.
This is not an issue between the government and employees because it is linked with the High Court. Senior advocate Sridharan appealed to the Division Bench to kindly allow an employee to return to the Central Administrative Tribunal at Hyderabad on health grounds.
The bench remarked that there is no question of kind but the question of rules. The court would issue instructions if it was bound by the rules. Everyone wants to go to Hyderabad as if people living in Vijayawada were not humans, it was pointed out.