Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain the plea of the state government to stay an order of the AP High Court which had directed the state government to ensure steps to conduct elections to municipalities and municipal corporations within four weeks.
On February 3, a division bench of the HC had rejected an application by the state seeking extension of time to hold civic polls. The government had moved a special leave petition before the apex court. A two member bench comprising Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar and Justice A.K. Sikri refused to intervene in the order of the HC and dismissed the plea of the state government.
Notice on Press Academy chief
Justice Vilas V. Afzulpurkar of the AP High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the state government on a plea challenging the appointment of A. Satya Rao as chairman to the AP Press Academy. Bhupathi Ravindranath had moved a plea seeking to issue writ of quo warranto against the appointment of the Press Academy chairman. The court granted the government a week to respond.
Stay on tobacco confiscation
Justice A. Rajasekhar Reddy stayed prosecution and confiscation of the tobacco products manufactured by RK Products Company for four weeks. The judge was dealing with a petition by the company challenging the notification issued by the government prohibiting manufacture, distribution and sale of pure tobacco, khaini, kharra, scented tobacco for one year. P. Vikram, counsel for the petitioner, contended that the products of the company are covered in the definition of "Tobacco products" and are governed by the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution) Act, 2003, and are excluded from the ambit of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Lodge consumer plaints, says CJ
Maintaining that the aim of the judiciary is to reach out to the people to address their grievances, Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta of the AP High Court on Wednesday advised people to lodge their complaints under the Consumer Act with in the nearby police station. He said the police will forward the same to the legal services authorities to settle them as prelitigation matters. The CJ was addressing at an interactive session with the police officials and other stakeholders on Consumer Disputes Act at the High Court.
