Telangana High Court orders extension of last date for graduate voters' enrolment

Hyderabad: The High Court on Thursday ordered the Election Commission to extend the date for the enrolment of voters for Graduate constituencies in view prevailing pandemic and incessant rains. The Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy directed the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer, Telangana to inform the Court by Friday (November 6) as to whether the eligible voters will have sufficient time till December 2020 to enroll their names for the Graduate Constituencies.

The petition filed by Advocate TV Ramesh and the counsel for the petitioner Chikkudu Prabhakar informed the Court that the Chief Electoral Officer, Telangana has concluded the procedure for preparation of the electoral rolls for Graduate constituencies by November 6 which will deprive many eligible voters.

Further, the counsel informed the Bench that the petitioner had approached the CEO, Telangana and requested him to extend the date, but he is yet to respond.

Avinash Desai, Standing Counsel for the Election Commission argued that the time schedule, which is prescribed, is a statutory schedule.

Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan observed that those dates which are prescribed by the Election Commission may be relevant in the normal circumstances and during the present circumstances which are prevailing due to pandemic, recent torrential rains, natural calamity, which has not only affected the Telangana state, but the entire country is devastated.

Chief Justice RS Chauhan opined that what if tomorrow, our enemy country attacks us and still the ECI wants to stick on to its dates, naturally, the ECI should apply its mind to the circumstances prevailing in the country and then decide on the dates. Keeping in view the abnormal conditions prevailing across the country, nation and the world, the ECI and the State Election Commission should extend the dates and the dates decided by the ECI and SEC are mere directives, not mandatory.

The Court directed the ECI and SEC to inform the Court about the dates and the decision it has taken on extension of dates for enrolment for the Graduate constituencies.

The court adjourned the matter to November 6 for further hearing.

HC issues notice on LRS GO 131

The Chief Justice Bench of the High Court once again issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Panchayat Raj, Commissioners of HMDA and GHMC and directed them to file their replies to the contentions raised by the petitioners on LRS GO 131.

The Court on Thursday heard 5 petitions seeking suspension of GO.131, through which the Telangana government to regularise all illegal and unapproved layouts in rural and urban areas in the State by next week.

Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan Bench observed that the action of the State government will motivate people to go for illegal layouts. The State government is about to regularise the illegal layouts and certain areas, which are already prohibited, will be regularised, therefore, the pleas alleging that the said GO.No. 131 is not sustainable, CJ Chauhan added.

Chief Justice asked Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad by which date the State will file its counter affidavit, duly replying to the contentions raised and further sought clarity from the Advocate General as to whether the State will file an individual counter affidavit in the batch of PILs or will it file a common counter affidavit.

Advocate General BS Prasad informed the Court that there are a lot of contentions raised by the petitioners in the batch of 5 PILs, and sought two weeks time.

Senior Counsel Sarasani Satyam Reddy appearing for one of the petitioners prayed the Court to stay the operation of the GO.Ms.No. 131 on the ground that taking advantage of this GO, many people are resorting to laying illegal layouts and people in rural and urban areas are facing financial constraints in paying prescribed fees towards regularisation.

AG Prasad informed the Bench that the State is spending the money received through regularisation towards strengthening infrastructure and taking up other developmental activities.

The matter was adjourned to November 12 for further hearing.

HC junks plea against 10,000 cash flood relief distribution

The High Court on Thursday refused to hear the plea urging the Court to order the State government to make payment of Rs 10,000 monetary relief to the flood- affected people by bank transfer instead of cash.

Counsel for the petitioner P. Shashi Kiran informed the bench that the State government has taken initiative to pay Rs. 10,000 monetary relief to those people, who are affected in the recent torrential rains, which created havoc in the Telangana state, where most of the people, almost lost everything.

The monetary relief which is being paid to the flood victims is the taxpayer's money and such money should be paid through online transfer/bank transfer so that the correct beneficiary receives the relief amount and this will prevent misuse or misappropriation of public money.

The petitioner also alleged that the Ministers, MLA's, Corporators and party functionaries are disbursing Rs10,000 a relief to the people and large scale money is being sidetracked and the middlemen are getting the benefit. The court refused to give any interim order on the matter and adjourned the matter for three weeks.