Hyderabad HC rules disabled drivers of Telangana, AP be given benefits

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court held on Thursday that disabled drivers working in the Road Transport Corporations (RTC) of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were entitled to benefits under Section 47 of the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995.

A division Bench comprising Justices C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy and G. Shyam Prasad dismissed a batch of appeals arising from judgments of different judges allowing petitions by drivers of RTCs, who had been declared medically unfit to continue as drivers.

The Bench said that acquired disability of an employee need not necessarily fall within the definition of “disability” under Section 2(i) and that irrespective of the nature of disability acquired by an employee, if such disability led to his being declared as not fit to continue in the post, which he was holding prior to his acquiring the disability, he was entitled to benefits under Section 47.

It also said that mere acceptance of the benefits offered by RTCs did not disentitle the disabled employees to claim protection under Section 47.

HC: Return of Satyam Rama Raju's passport
The Hyderabad High Court on Thursday directed the prosecution to return the passport of Mr B. Rama Raju, the then MD of erstwhile Satyam Computers.
Justice M.S.K. Jaiswal was hearing a petition filed by Mr Raju challenging an order of the lower court which rejected his application for return of passport on the ground that they had to be sent along with other documents to the appellate court where the Satyam case appeals are pending.

The judge said that the trial court had no power to refuse to return the passport saying that all documents relating to the case were to be sent to the appellate court.