HC Unhappy Over Telangana Govt's GO Route

Hyderabad: The division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhonsale and Justice S V Bhatt expressed unhappiness at the way the Telangana state government was making substantial amendments to Acts by issuing Government Orders (GOs). It advised the government to go to legislature and carry out such amendments.

The bench made this clear while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Dr Manohar Rao, a retired professor of Osmania University, challenging the GO issued by the government relaxing the UGC norms for appointment to posts of Vice-Chancellors in the state.

The bench pointed out that there are three petitions pending before it challenging the action of government amending the main Acts through GO route and said prima facie it is not happy with such developments. The impugned GO relaxed the UGC norm of 10 years experience as professor for elegibility to V-C’s post to five years and also made the state government responsible for appointments by curtailing the role of Governor as Chancellor.

The bench observed that appointment to V-C posts must not be political appointments. AG K Ramakrishna Reddy countered that the government was well within its rights to issue such GOs and requested the bench not to halt the process of selection for the posts. The court granted permission with the rider that all such appointments would be subject to the outcome of this petition.