Election of Tukkuguda Municipal Chairperson Declared Void

 Hyderabad: Justice Lakshminarayana Alishetty of the Telangana High Court set aside the election of K. Madhumohan as chairperson of Tukkuguda municipality at the instance of the councillor Barigela Hemalatha and others. The court held that the participation of Dr K. Keshav Rao and P. Sabitha Indra Reddy in the election as ex-officio members was without the authority of law. The unsuccessful candidate pointed out that Keshava Rao was elected as member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh and therefore could not have participated as a local MLA. Sabhita Indira Reddy was disqualified as she had opted for a municipality outside Tukkuguda. In a detailed 40-page judgment, Justice Alishetty declared that the election of Madhumohan was void. It said that the second highest securer of votes, Hemalatha, be declared as chairperson. The judge also set aside the direction of the election tribunal to issue a notification for conduct of afresh election. Meanwhile, in a separate application, Madhumohan moved the court seeking suspension of the order for a period of four weeks to enable him to move the Supreme Court. The judge granted two weeks to the aggrieved party to prefer an appeal to the apex court.

Lal Darwaza temple finances order modified

A two-judge panel of the Telangana High Court modified the order with regard to the nitty-gritty of the Sri Simhavahini Mahankali temple at Lal Darwaza in Hyderabad. The panel of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Anil Kumar heard a writ appeal filed by members of the temple’s trust board requiring it to open a separate bank account and deposit all incomes and offering to the deity to that account. The single judge had made that order while dealing with a writ petition filed by L. Govind Kumar. The petitioner had sought a direction against the commissioner of endowments to take action on the report submitted by the assistant commissioner of endowments, which pertains to alleged mismanagement, irregularities and illegalities by the temple committee within the time frame and that the ensuing Bonalu festival scheduled for July 28 and 29, under his direct supervision or by appointing a special officer for that purpose, and to not release funds to the temple trust pending action on the report submitted by the assistant commissioner. It was contended before the panel that the order of the single judge without hearing the petitioners was in violation of principles of natural justice. The panel accordingly remanded the matter to the single judge to hear the matter after extending an opportunity of hearing to the appellant trustees. The panel also made it clear that all the offerings made during Bonalu would be in the said bank account and will await further adjudication by the single judge.

HC notice on Mental Health Act

A two-judge panel of the Telangana High Court ordered notices in a PIL seeking implementation of provisions of Mental Healthcare Act. The panel, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Anil Kumar entertained an email addressed by a practicing advocate to the Chief Justice as a public interest litigation. The email sought a direction to the authorities concerned to implement the provisions of the Act by appointing a state authority and district committees to provide facilities and treatment for those who need it and protect the eight lakh mentally disabled persons. It was stated that the family members were not providing treatment to them. Moreover, the state government was not taking any measures to provide treatment to the mentally disabled persons due to which many distraught persons had died by suicide. It was further stated that the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 mandated that every state has to establish the state and district-level panels to protect the affected persons but there are no such in the Telangana. There have been no awareness camps and no activities to protect the mentally disabled persons. The panel considering the same, ordered notice to the respondents and posted the matter for further adjudication.

Opthalmologist plea on insensitive transfer

Justice Pulla Karthik of the Telangana High Court took on file a writ plea complaining of state insensitivity in not transferring an associate professor of ophthalmology on the grounds of posting of the spouse. The judge was hearing a writ plea filed by Dr Nalini Jayanthi, associate professor of ophthalmology at the Government Medical College, Karimnagar. The petitioner alleged that the state director of medical education and others had failed to consider the case of the petitioner for transfer to a college in Hyderabad despite the fact that her spouse was working in another district. The petitioner alleged that the action of the respondents was contrary to GO dated July 04, 2024. The judge, after hearing the petitioner, directed the respondent authorities to file response and posted the matter for further adjudication.