Hyderabad: One accused in rape case is a minor High Court said

Hyderabad : A crucial development has taken place in the Jubilee Hills Amnesia Pub gang-rape case, the Telangana High Court on Tuesday ruled that one of the accused, was a minor. The High Court giving its order to this effect is likely to cast its impact on the proceedings against the accused.

The Jubilee Hills police have in the past approached the Court seeking directions to recognise all the accused in the Jubilee Hills gang-rape case as majors.

The Juvenile Court has earlier passed orders recognising the son of Wakf Board Chairman as a major. This prompted the boy's father to approach the Telangana High Court challenging the Juvenile Court's verdict.

A 17-year-old minor girl was gang-raped when she was returning home after attending a get-together at Amnesia Pub, located on Road no. 36 in Jubilee Hills. Six persons were identified as the alleged perpetrators of the heinous crime, which sent shockwaves and evoked widespread outrage.

The six accused allegedly befriended the girl outside the pub and offered to drop her at her house. They, later took her to a place near Peddamma Temple and allegedly gang-raped her in the car.

HC SLAPS NOTICES TO GOVT ON LACK OF BASIC AMENITIES AT KOTI MATERNITY HOSP

The High Court Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji on Tuesday issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health Department, Commissioner, Health and Family welfare, T Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, Superintendent, Government Maternity Hospital, District Collector, Hyderabad and the Director of Medical Education, directing them to respond to the contention of the petitioner Rapolu Bhaskar, an advocate, practising in the High Court, who addressed a letter to the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court (which was converted into a PIL) informing that the Koti Maternity Hospital, located in the heart of the city, lacks minimum basic infrastructure, health workers, medicines etc., due to which the pregnant women from almost all the districts in the Telangana State, who visit this hospital, find themselves in a pathetic and deplorable position because they are forced to stand in serpentine ques to meet the doctor as the hospital lacks requisite chairs.

Further, the patients are forced to purchase mandatory medicines from private medical shops as the hospital lacks medicines etc.

Nearly 300-400 pregnant women from across the State flock the Koti Maternity hospital every day with a confidence that they will get proper medical aid in this hospital, get free medicine and anticipating that they will get a comfortable place to deliver their child, but to their utter shock, the hospital is flooded with rats, termites etc., which put the pregnant women and their attendants in fear and dismay anticipating life risk from these rodents and termites and they spend sleepless nights in the hospital, till they get out of the hospital after the pregnant women delivers the child.

The Division Bench was adjudicating the Public Interest Litigation by converting the letter addressed by Raopolu Bhaskar, who informed the Chief Justice that 300-400 pregnant women from across the Telangana State visit the Koti Maternity Hospital daily for getting medical aid, but due to non availability of basic minimum amenities, cleanliness and shortage of requisite medical staff, the pregnant women have to face many problems in the hospital. The matter adjourned to July 25.

Govt and Kakatiya Med College asked to respond on death of Dr Dharavath Preethi

The High Court Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji on Tuesday issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health Department, Director of Medical Education, TS, Commissioner of Police, Warangal, Principal, Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal and the Head of the Department, Anaesthesia department, Kakatiya Medical College, directing them to respond to the notices by July 28.

The Division Bench was adjudicating the taken up PIL, based on the letter addressed by one M Mallaiah, president, Scheduled Tribes Employees Welfare Association, BHEL Ramachandrapuram, Hyderabad highlighting the incident which occurred in Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal city wherein a young lady Dr. Dharavath Preethi, MD Anaesthesia 1st year student at Kakatiya Medical College, KMC Warangal City died due to ragging and harassment by one Mr. Saif and his friends, who redundantly mocked and ridiculed Dr Dharavath Preethi on her caste. Dr Dharavath Preethi was a Scheduled Tribe candidate and she was subjected to ragging. She died as Saif and his friends forcibly injected poisonous injections into her body which lead to her death on February 26, 2023.

Though the parents of the deceased gave a complaint to the police and other officials, all their efforts to get the culprits to book went in vain. The petitioner seeks a direction to the police to register crime against Saif and his associates under Section 302 of IPC, seek CBI probe into the death of Dr Dharavath Preethi and pay compensation to the parents of the deceased. Matter adjourned to July 28.

HC orders "Status Quo" on construction of "Eidgah" on forest land in Nirmal

The High Court Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji on Tuesday ordered "STATUS QUO" on the construction of an "Eidgah", a place where Muslims congregate and offer prayers on the forest land admeasuring 12 Acres (3.373 hectare), located at compartment Reserve Forest at Chincholi Village in Nirmal District.

The BRS Government had requested the Union of India, Ministry of Forest and Climate change, New Delhi seeking permission to use this land for the construction of establishing a Vocational Training and Skill Upgrading Centre for the overall benefit and development of the youth of the State.

But, after getting the nod from the Government of India, the BRS Government had commenced construction of an "Eidgah cum Vocational Training and Skill Upgrading Centre", contrary to the orders of the Union Ministry of Environment and climate change.

Further, the High Court issued notices to the Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi, Dy. Inspector General of Forest, Aranya Bhavan, Hyderabad, Principal Secretary to the BRS Government Education Department, Spl. Chief Secretary, Forest, Science and Technology, Telangana, District Collector, Nirmal, Municipal Commissioner, Nirmal district, directing them to respond to the notices by July 29 duly furnishing reasons for the construction of the "Eidgah cum vocational and training upgradation centre" on the forest land, which was specifically allocated by the Central Govt., for construction of Vocational Training and Skill Upgrading Centre.

Prabhakar, Senior counsel appearing for the petitioner Anju Kumar Reddy, informed the Court that though the BRS Government had got permission from the Central Government for the purpose of construction of Vocational Training and Skill Upgrading Centre on the 12 Acres forest land, but after getting permission, the Government changed its stand and commenced construction of an "Eidgah cum vocational and training upgradation centre".

Further, the senior counsel also placed a resolution passed by the Nirmal Municipality dated March 19, 2023 allocating budget for the construction of an "Eidgah cum vocational and training upgradation centre" and prayed the Court to stay the entire construction of the Eidgah as it is contrary to the orders passed by the Central Government.

In the interregnum, Gade Praveen Kumar, Dy. Solicitor General, representing the Central Govt., furnished orders passed by the Central Govt., keeping in abeyance its earlier orders permitting the BRS Government, for diverting the 12 Acres (3.373 hectare), located at compartment Reserve Forest at Chincholi Village Nirmal District for the purpose of construction of Vocational training and skill upgradation centre.

As the matter stood, Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad assured the Division Bench, that the Vocational Training and Skill Upgrading Centre will only be constructed on the forest admeasuring 12 Acres (3.373 hectare), located at compartment Reserve Forest at Chincholi Village Nirmal District and nothing else and even prayed the Court to record his contention. Such a contention of the AG was not considered by the Court.

The Division Bench was adjudicating the PIL filed by Anjukumar Reddy, Legal Practitioner, Nirmal District, challenging the action of the BRS Government in diverting the 12 Acres (3.373 hectare) Forest land, located at compartment Reserve Forest at Chincholi Village Nirmal District for the construction of Eidgah.