Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court sought details from the government on steps it had taken to prevent suicides by students. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Maddireddy Shanker, an advocate, against the commissioner of intermediate education and commissioner of secondary school education for not taking steps to stop such suicides after the board results are declared. Additional advocate general Imran Khan, on instructions, said that requisite steps had been taken to prevent suicides by students and awareness was being spread. In order to test the bonafides of the petitioner, the bench asked the steps he had taken to prevent such extreme measures. Counsel for the petitioner sought a week’s time to enable him to appraise the court of his work.
Appointment of Hindi pandits challenged
Justice Pulla Karthik of the Telangana High Court made it clear that selections made for the post of Hindi pandit under the Trained Graduate Teachers (TGT) recruitment process would be subject to further orders in a writ petition entertained by him. The judge was dealing with a plea filed by Vijayalakshmi Munnukuntala questioning the action of the Telangana Residential Educational Institutions Recruitment Board (TREIRB), which declared that she was ineligible for the post. She reiterated that she was qualified and eligible as per the notification issued in 2022. She said that the earlier notifications had created parity between the degrees issued by the university and those like Visharad, Bhushan and Vidwan, the last of which was equivalent to a degree. She pointed out that 422 candidates were declared eligible as against 516 trained graduates and 94 posts were yet to be filled up. She complained that the non-consideration of her case was arbitrary and illegal.
HC sets aside Medak land order
Justice S. Nanda of the Telangana High Court set aside the order of the Medak district collector issued on the instructions of the revenue division officer (RDO) with regard to correction of a wrong entry in the revenue records by exercising suo motu power after more than 33 years, in 2019. The alleged wrong entries were made in 1986 and 1987. The same is not only an arbitrary exercise of power but also contrary to the view of the apex court in the various judgments, the judge said. The judge was dealing with the writ petition filed by Laxmi Sai Breeding Farms Pvt. Ltd, questioning the action of the authority in exercising suo motu power with regard to a residential villa at Mytri Enclave, Yapral. The petitioner purchased land in 1986 under a registered sale deed and got the name mutated in the revenue records and an exception was granted in the name of Basic Breeders Pvt. Ltd under the Land Ceiling Act. The petitioner later established a poultry business. The petitioner said that on “frivolous representation” in June 2015 the authorities deleted the name of the petitioner. The court found that it was an act at the instance of the revenue authority and the collector initiated the proceedings without applying his mind independently on the subject. Justice Nanda referred to various judgments of the apex court and ruled that it was well-settled that when the statute does not prescribe any time for exercise of a particular power, the power should be exercised within a reasonable time. She accordingly set aside the impounding order. She faulted the collector for making the impounding order after 33 years at the instance of the RDO and others without independent application of mind which is not only opposed to the rule of law but also an improper exercise of jurisdiction vested in him for extraneous considerations.
