Hyderabad: A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar of the Hyderabad High Court on Friday set aside the prohibitory orders issued by the Income-Tax department restraining the Telangana State Beverages Corporation Ltd from selling liquor stocks belonging to Telangana kept in depots.
The bench was allowing the petitions by TSBCL challenging the prohibitory order issued on February 28, 2015 by the IT department for alleged non-payment of tax arrears of about Rs 1,225 crore for the assessment year 2012-13 and 2013-14.
The bench said that TSBCL was a separate entity on the date the IT department served the notice for payment of tax arrears. TSBCL did not exist during the years for which the department raised tax demand.
The bench granted liberty to the I-T department to proceed for recovery of arrears after bifurcation of assets and liabilities between the AP Beverages Corporation Ltd and TSBCL.
Warm farewell for Cheif Justice in city:
The Bar and the Bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Friday bid a warm farewell to Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta who is demitting office on May 6. The farewell event was advanced due to the summer vacation for the HC which begins from May 4.
Expressing thanks for the references made by the AGs of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Justice Sengupta said that he was proud to be associated with the Hyderabad High Court, and that Hyderabad will be his second home. Recalling his struggle to become a lawyer, he appealed to the senior advocates to encourage juniors in their initial stages.
Though the traditional farewell to be organized by the High Court judges went peacefully, the traditional farewell by advocates' association was cancelled due to a scuffle between two groups of lawyers. A section of the advocates have opposed to bid farewell to the Chief Justice.
HC says no to CBI probe:
A division bench comprising CJ Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar of the HC on Friday refused to order a CBI probe into the Seshachalam encounter in which 20 TN woodcutters were killed on April 7.
When the counsels for the petitioners demanded a CBI probe, the bench said that law and order is a state subject and that the state government has to give consent for referring the case to the CBI.
When the counsels said that as per Supreme Court order the High Court can grant direction for the probe even without consent of the state government, the bench made it clear that the without hearing the state government it cannot grant the order.
The bench directed the state government to file counter affidavits on the affidavits filed by petitioners questioning the fairness of some of the officers who were members of the Special Investigation Team.
The bench said it is open to officers of the team facing allegations to file counters. The bench also refused to make the plea for granting compensation a part of the petitions and adjourned the case to the first week of June.
Elsewhere, the same bench on Friday directed the registry to post an appeal before the second vacation bench, challenging the refusal of a single judge to order re-postmortem of the bodies of Vikaruddin and four other terror suspects killed in an encounter at Alair in Nalgonda on April 7.
