Hyderabad High Court asks when Centre will give money to build AP High Court

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Friday granted three months time to the Centre to take a decision on releasing funds to establish a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar was issuing notices to the Centre, Andhra Pradesh governments and other respondents in a review petition moved by the Telangana government. 

AP’s advocate-general P. Venugopal, while opposing the issuance of a notice to the state government without hearing the objection on the review petition, brought to the notice of the bench that the Centre has not yet released any funds for constitution of a separate High Court. 

He said that a division bench of this court in its order dated May 1, 2015 wrongly mentioned that it was the Andhra Pradesh government which has to release funds for a separate High Court which is factually incorrect and it is the responsibility of the Centre to allocate funds for the same. He urged the court to rectify the technical error fearing the Centre may stop funds on this count. The bench said that it will consider the pleadings of the AG with regard to correction of the error. 

K. Ramakrishna Reddy, advocate-general of Telangana submitted that as per the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, it is for the President to notify the principal seat of the separate High Court for AP, but the division bench in its order wrongly interpreted the relevant provisions which is giving an impression that it is the AP government which has to notify the place where the separate High Court is to be constituted. 

While saying that it is a factual error, he urged the court review the order and make appropriate corrections. While issuing the notices, the bench said that the Centre has to take a decision with regard to allocation of funds for the High Court for AP and if the Centre releases any funds, those funds shall exclusively be utilised by the AP government for the establishment of the High Court. The bench directed the all the respondents including the AP and the Central governments to file their counter affidavits on the review petition before August 14.  

Telangana told to file affidavit on accreditation of scribes

Justice A.V. Sesha Sai of the Hyderabad High Court on Friday directed the Telangana government to file counter affidavit on a petition challenging a GO issued to grant accreditation to journalists working in the state. 

The judge was dealing with the petition by Shaik Khasim, a journalist representing a vernacular daily of the city seeking to direct the Telangana government to enact media accreditation rules governing grant of accreditations to journalists working in the state. He submitted that the government has issued the GO without considering the recommendations of the committee headed by senior journalist K. Ramachandra Murthy for formulating accreditation rules in the state. 

He said that without accepting the report of the said committee the government has straig-htaway constituted another committee headed by press academy chairman for receiving applications and granting accreditations to mediapersons. The government issued GO 197 dated May 23, 2015 constituting the State level media accreditation committee for the purpose. The judge granted two weeks time to the government to file the affidavit.