Hyderabad High Court allows victims to choose public prosecutor in rape case

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Friday granted relief to tribal women victims of Vakapalli gang rape case involving Greyhounds personnel by directing the AP government to appoint Mr P. Trinadha Rao as special public prosecutor within a week to conduct trial on behalf of victims before the special court at Visakhapatnam.

Justice M. Seetharama Murti was allowing the petition filed by nine victims of the gang rape seeking directions to the AP government to appoint prosecutors to conduct the trial before the 11th additional district sessions judge cum special court under the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Visakhapatnam against 13 Greyhounds personnel.

The judge dismissed an application moved by the RDO concerned urging the court not to direct for appointment of Mr Rao in view of a case registered against him on December 29, 2017.

While dismissing the application of the RDO, the judge questioned why Mr Rao should not be appointed when several public servants against wh-om cases were pending had been continuing in government service.

The judge made it clear that pendency of case against Mr Trinadha Rao was not at all a ground to object for his appointment.

The law has given the right to the victims to select the prosecutor of their choice to argue their case, the judge added.

High Court: Varying compensation illegal
The Hyderabad High Court on Friday made it clear that the action of the Telangana government in paying '6 lakh per acre to the land holders who are willing to give away their lands and deciding a low rate at '85,000 per acre for land holder whose lan-ds are acquired under the Land Acquisition Act 2013 was illegal.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice G. Shyam Prasad suspended the proceedings started by the district collector on compensating at the rate of '85,000 as market value per acre in Vemulaghat village.