Hold polls for Maheshwaram MPP chief’s post: HC

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court’s division bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice N V Shravan Kumar, on Tuesday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold election to the post of Maheshwaram Mandal Praja Parishath president. in Ranga Reddy District, but restrained the commission from declaring results.

The court issued notices to the Principal Secretary, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, SEC, the district collector and the district election authority and the ZP chief executive officer, directing them to respond within two weeks.

The bench was adjudicating the writ petition filed by Rathlavath Sunita, MPP vice-president, aggrieved by the SEC in holding elections to president’s post without holding elections to other casual vacancies.

P V Krishnaiah, counsel for the petitioner, informed the court that the SEC ought to have taken steps to fill the vacancies; thereafter should have held elections to fill the post of MPP president. He said the government vide GO 11 (Panchayat Raj and Rural Development), dated February 15 omitted proviso of rule 13 of the Telangana PR rules which mandates elections to the MPP president’s post. The bench, after hearing the counsel, said prima facie, there appears to be no justification in deleting the requirement of proviso which mandates filling up the MPP president’s post. Hearing in the case was adjourned by two weeks.

Law officers appointed

The State government has appointed 11 government pleaders and 44 assistant government pleaders to represent it before the Telangana High Court.

According to GO, advocates E Ramesh Chandra Goud, Bhukya Mangulal Naik, Shazia Parveen, NS Arjun Kumar, Shanti Neelam, B. Mohana Reddy, K Muralidhar Reddy, A Jagan, S Satyanarayana Rao, G Veera Swamy and Mahesh Raje will serve as government pleaders.