Telangana HC Pulls Up Finance Dept Over Delay in OU Staff Regularisation
Court questions repeated return of proposal despite earlier orders on employees’ services
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has expressed displeasure over the repeated delay in implementing its orders concerning the regularisation of temporary employees of Osmania University, observing that the finance department cannot indefinitely stall proposals meant to give effect to judicial directions.
Justice Suddala Chalapathi Rao questioned the role of the finance department’s principal secretary in repeatedly returning the proposal relating to the employees’ regularisation.
The court asked under what authority the finance department could reject or return a proposal intended to implement a court order.
The judge was hearing a contempt petition filed by 31 temporary employees of Osmania University, who alleged that their services had not been regularised despite earlier directions of the High Court.
The employees had first approached the High Court in 1997 seeking regularisation of their services and secured an order in their favour in 2000. The university challenged the decision the same year, but the employees continued to pursue the matter and secured further relief in 2025.
They subsequently initiated contempt proceedings alleging non-compliance with the directions relating to consideration of their regularisation.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the court was informed that the proposal for regularisation had been forwarded to the finance department on three occasions but was returned each time.
Principal secretary, education, Yogita Rana, who had earlier been directed to appear before the court, joined the proceedings virtually on Wednesday.
The High Court then directed the principal secretary of the finance department to explain the reasons for returning the proposal and warned that continued failure to comply with the court’s directions could invite serious consequences.