Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Thursday, referring to the critical situation facing bureaucrats, said that most officials had become apathetic though they knew that the decisions of the governments are wrong.
Justice B. Siva Sankara Rao while dealing with a petition by AP Special Chief Secretary L.V. Subrahmanyam seeking to quash CBI proceedings in the Emaar Properties scam, said that most officers refrained from pointing out faults in the decisions of the governments in view of the consequences.
The judge referring to certain portions of a novel of the noted writer Viswanatha Satyanarayana with regard to dharma said when the king proclaimed himself as dharma their ministers would have to follow him.
He asked CBI counsel how the charge of apathy made against Mr Subrahmanyam when he was MD of the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation could fall under criminal conspiracy.
CBI counsel K. Surender said though the APIIC officials recommended allotment of land for Emaar for the rate of Rs 40 lakhs per acre, Mr Subrahmanyam had allotted it at Rs 29 lakh per acre.
He said the apathy of the petitioner had caused a loss to the exchequer and benefited Emaar, and this amounted to a conspiracy.
Mr Surender said the fact that the state government had not accorded sanction to prosecute Mr Subrahmanyam cannot be ground to quash the case against the petitioner. He said that the Centre had accorded sanction for his prosecution. The judge posted the case to Friday.
