HC orders fresh appointment of folk artistes in Telangana

Hyderabad: Finally, good news for those folk artistes and the poet-performers who actively participated in the statehood agitation and didn’t get their slice of pie in the jobs offered by the state government after the formation of Telangana. 

Thanks to the High Court verdict that ensures justice to all those folk artistes, who rocked the streets and kept the stir alive with their songs and performances across the region during the Telangana Movement.  It may be noted here that recognising the role of folk artistes, the TRS government made 550 appointments in 2015 through Telangana State Department of Language and Culture to utilise their services in propagating the welfare schemes of the administration. 

The government which did not frame any norms such as age and educational qualifications for identifying the artistes for the jobs, the recruitment was based on artistes performed in the attire of ‘Gochi and Gongali’ and under the rubric of Dhoom Dhaam, a programme coined by Rasamayi Balakishan, who heads the Department of Language and Culture and also the Manakondur MLA.     

Against this backdrop, J Ramesh and two others moved a PIL challenging the appointment of 550 persons on a nomination basis without issuing the notification inviting the applications. 

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, on Tuesday, dealing with the case observed that the Telangana government didn’t follow due procedure such as issuing notification before it made appointments. 

Further, the Bench ordered the government to issue a fresh notification within three weeks and complete the appointments within three months. Meanwhile, the government can continue the existing employees appointed under the category. However, they all have to apply again after the notification is issued by the government.

Speaking to The Hans India, Rasamayi Balakishan said: “I am yet to go through the court order. But it’s for sure that the appointment of 550 artistes who toiled for the spread of separate state movement was a landmark decision taken by the TRS government. 

The appointments were made only after the approval of the Cabinet and later passing a resolution in the Assembly. A committee appointed by the government verified the credentials of the artistes.” 

In fact, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was in favour of inducting the artistes who missed the earlier appointment, he said. Director of Department of Culture, Telangana government, Mamidi Harikrishna said: “We are yet to get the court order. The government will take an appropriate decision after going through the court’s directions.” Meanwhile, the folk artistes who missed the bus expressed their happiness over the court’s decision.