Telangana High Court slaps fine of Rs 50k on MAA Telangana party

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court division bench comprising of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy on Monday heard the plea filed by MAA Telangana Party, represented by its President K Veera Reddy alleging that action of the respondents in allowing the bulk drug and pharma units to continue them to use Zero Liquid Discharge systems and treat their toxic effluents as arbitrary, illegal and in violation of law.

Further, to direct the respondents to take action on the companies who are discharging their liquid effluents and releasing polluted air into the environment.

Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan after examining the affidavit queried with the Petitioner Counsel Harsh Kumar Asthana, that were material facts. Suppression of material facts will not be tolerated. The court is not refrained from using some words that this is like a PIL i.e Paisa Wasool Litigation.

The respondent government authorities have brought to the notice of the court that the petitioner, Maa Telangana Party, had filed all together before the appellate tribunal on the same subject matter and all the appeals were dismissed for non-prosecution.

The CJ bench queried that why the petitioner did not submit before the Court that the case is already appealed in the tribunal, it's nothing but suppression of material facts, the court opined.

The CJ bench dismissed the writ petition with costs of Rs 50,000 and directed the petitioner party to deposit it at the Telangana Legal Services Authority, High Court, Hyderabad.

Appear before Oct 20:

HC to Mining official

The Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan & Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy on Monday heard the public interest litigation filed by K Kondal Rao, social activist, Hyderabad seeking a direction to the State government to initiate stringent action against all those persons who are directly or indirectly involved in illegal mining in the Mamidipally Chinnapur Forest Area of Nizamabad District.

The Chief Justice bench directed the Asst. Director (Mining & Geology), Nizamabad district to appear before it, in person on October 20, for not restraining persons from carrying out illegal mining which going on rampant in the Mamidipally Chinnapur Forest Area of Nizamabad District, leading to extinction of limited natural resources in the forest area and is damaging the rich flora and fauna.

Special GP Andapally Sanjeev Kumar informed the court that the Asst. Director (Mining and Geology), Nizamabad is the competent authority and is responsible to ensure that no illegal mining takes place in the Mamidipally Chinnapur Forest Area of Nizamabad District.

Though, the AD Mines and Geology is not a party to the Public Interest Litigation, the Asst. Director was contacted several times and informed him to ensure that no illegal mining takes place and the fact that this issue is under adjudication before the Hon'ble High Court, but the official has not heeded to the instructions, Special GP informed the bench.

The Chief Justice Bench after taking note of the contentions put forth by the Spl GP directed the Registry to inform the Asst Director Mines and Geology, Nizamabad District to appear before the Court in person on October 20.

TWJF plea seeks direction to police to accord permission for padayatra

V Ashok Kumar, President of the Telangana Working Journalist's Federation (TWJF) has filed a Writ Petition by way of Lunch Motion on Monday, seeking a direction to the Police to accord permission to hold a padayatra to be held by the journalists from September 20 to 26.

The padayatra will commence from Mahbubnagar District and will conclude at Pragati Bhavan, Hyderabad.

The petitioners intend to take out the padayatra for allotment of double bedroom houses as the journalists are facing a lot of problems in their lives due to severe economic surge.

The plea of the journalists is "allotment of double bedroom houses" to all the journalists in the Telangana State, including the journalists who hail from Mahbubnagar District.

The petitioners alleged that the Chief Minister of the Telangana State in 2014 during the Telangana agitation had assured the journalists that they will be allotted double bedroom houses, but till today, such a promise has not been fulfilled. Hence, the journalists intend to take out a padayatra from Mahbubnagar District ventilating their grievance and conclude this padayatra at Pragathi Bhavan by giving a representation to the Chief Minister, Telangana.

Further, the petitioners contended that the Chief Minister had promised the journalists to implement a 2008 Government Order, through which the journalists were allotted residential plots, but the GO was not implemented due to legal hurdles.

On Monday Evening, Justice Kanneganti Lalitha heard the plea during which the Judge directed the Petitioner's counsel to amend the prayer in the petition as the representation seeking permission for the padayatra was given only to the SP, Mahbubnagar and the DGP but the padayatra goes through some other districts also. Hence, the request permissions have to be obtained from the concerned police authorities in those districts also, through which the padayatra goes on. For further hearing, the matter adjourned to September 20.