Gig Workers Union Seeks Taxi Fare Regulation

Hyderabad:Justice K. Sarath of the Telangana High Court took on file a writ plea seeking regulation of taxi fares across the state and implementation of government-notified prepaid taxi rates at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad. The judge was hearing a writ plea filed by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), complaining of inaction on the part of the transport and allied authorities in regulating taxi fares. The union contended that despite statutory obligations under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the authorities failed to fix and enforce fare structures, allowing taxi aggregators to charge arbitrary and exorbitant fares. It was contended that government order dated December 9, 2024, issued by the transport, roads and buildings (Tr.I) department, directing the state transport authority to fix fares for prepaid motor cabs operating at the Shamshabad airport, was not implemented. Owing to such inaction, taxi aggregators were allegedly operating without effective regulatory control. The petitioner contended that the failure to regulate fares violates the Motor Vehicles Act, the Legal Metrology Act, and the Constitution of India, besides being contrary to Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002. The judge directed the government pleader for transport, and for the legal metrology to file their response.

Medico appeals against govt service, bond

Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka of the Telangana High Court on Monday ordered notice to LV Prasad Eye Institute, Visakhapatnam, and Osmania Medical College in a writ plea filed by a postgraduate medical doctor challenging compulsory government service and enforcement of a `20 lakh bond imposed at the time of admission to the course. The judge is dealing with a writ plea filed by Dr Rallapalli Poojitha. The petitioner secured admission through NEET-2022 and questioned the applicability of the government notification dated November 13, mandating compulsory service for senior residents, along with the consequent posting orders directing her to join a government institution. The petitioner assailed the action of the authorities in withholding her original educational certificates and refusing to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) and registration of her PG degree under the Telangana Medical Practitioners Registration Act, contending that the same effectively stalled her professional career and fellowship. The petitioner also challenged the `20 lakh bond executed in 2022 and the Government Order dated November 18, 2021, terming them illegal and unenforceable in view of the Amendment Act of 2018, which amended provisions relating to mandatory government service for PG students. Alleging violation of her fundamental rights under the Constitution, the petitioner contended that the insistence on compulsory senior residency was arbitrary, without authority of law, and contrary to legislative intent. The petitioner sought directions to release her original certificates, issue NOC and registration, declare the impugned notification, posting orders, and bond conditions as non-binding, or alternatively, exempt her from compulsory government service during the tenure of her fellowship.

Pre-arrest bail to man in abetment case

The Telangana High Court granted anticipatory bail in a suicide case for lack of incriminating evidence for abetting the act of abetment of suicide in connection with the death of a twenty-year-old woman in Mahbubnagar district. The judge was dealing with a criminal petition filed by C. Balaji, seeking anticipatory bail in a case registered by Mahbubnagar II-Town police. The case arose from a complaint lodged by the father of the deceased woman. According to the prosecution, the death was treated as a case of suicide following reprimand by family members over a love affair, and the police registered a case. It was later alleged, based on statements recorded after about three months, that the petitioner left the deceased at her house on the day of the incident, following which the offence was altered to one relating to abetment of suicide. Counsel for the petitioner contended that he was falsely implicated, that there was no incriminating material collected during investigation, and that the alteration of the offence after a long delay demonstrated the weakness of the prosecution case. It was argued that the family members initially accepted that the deceased took the extreme step after being admonished at home and that the petitioner was subsequently roped in without any direct evidence. After examining the material on record, the judge noted that no incriminating evidence was collected against the petitioner and that there was a significant gap between the investigation and alteration of the offence. Taking these aspects into account, the judge held that custodial interrogation was not warranted at this stage and enlarged the petitioner on conditional anticipatory bail.