HC Permits Bibi Ka Alam Procession

 Hyderabad: Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Monday permitted Shia Muslims to conduct Bibi-ka-Alam procession at Moula Ali without any deviation and further directed Rachakonda police commissioner to permit them to perform their Muharram prayers at Maqbara Mah Laqa Bai at Moula Ali.

The judge was dealing with a writ plea filed by Shia Civil Council for Social Justice director and national president Hidayeth Ali Mirza seeking a direction to enable the Shia Muslims in conducting peaceful procession. Counsel for the petitioner contended that the procession route that was followed for 300 years should not be disturbed enabling them to continue the Qutub Shahi royalty and protecting the religious right of mourning. The petitioner also sought directions to the authorities to cooperate with the procession in a peaceful manner so as to maintain brotherhood between the Shia and Sunni Muslims. The judge granted interim order and directed the state, Wakf Board, DCP and others to follow the Qutub Shahi Royalty during the Muharrum days as followed by Shia Muslims for 70 days in the Old City of Hyderabad as well as at Moula Ali area. The judge adjourned the matter to July 30 for further hearing.

Decade-old charge memo under judicial scrutiny

Justice T. Madhavi Devi of the Telangana High Court ordered the principal secretary of the Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Department and other authorities to file their responses in a writ plea challenging a charge memo issued a decade after the alleged incident. The judge extended a final chance failing which the principal secretary would be required to personally appear before the judge. The judge took on file a writ plea filed by Taj Mohan Reddy, assistant estate officer on deputation at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Secunderabad. The petitioner alleged that the respondent authorities issued a charge memo against him vide a GO dated September 24, 2010, in violation of the constitution and contrary to the catena of judicial pronouncements. The petitioner further alleged that the charge memo issued against the petitioner was contrary to Andhra Pradesh Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules. The petitioner also sought declaration of the charge memo against him as illegal on the ground of inordinate delay of almost a decade in finalizing disciplinary proceedings against him. After hearing the petitioner, the judge directed the respondent authorities to file their response within two weeks.

HC junks Telugu varsity writ appeal

A two-judge panel of the Telangana High Court comprising Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Justice Laxminarayana Alishetty dismissed a writ appeal filed by Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University against its retired deputy registrar G. Bhaskar. Earlier, the former had filed a writ petition questioning the proceedings of the University seeking to recover Rs 7 lakh from him. The writ petitioner had joined as a clerk in the university and had climbed the ranks and retired in December 2020. In July 2021, the university on the ground that there was an anomaly in his pay fixation in 1989 sought recovery of the said amount. A single judge of the court allowed the writ petition relying on the law as laid down by the apex court and also found that the recovery order was in violation of principles of natural justice. Senior counsel G. Vidya Sagar appearing for the writ petitioner pointed out that the action of the university after retirement of the employee was without jurisdiction and unauthorised and that the single judge was right in allowing the writ petition.

NGO sees de-freezing of bank account

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Monday took on file a writ plea filed by president of the Hyderabad Youth Courage (HYC), an NGO, seeking to de-freeze his bank account. The judge was dealing with a writ plea filed by Salman Khan. It is the case of the petitioner that under the guise of a pending criminal case, SBI froze the bank account without any reasonable grounds. It is alleged in the complaint before Saidabad police station that one Ayub, had cheated the complainant and others by collecting funds through social media platforms in the name of helping people suffering in Gaza, Palestine. It was alleged that Syed Ayub runs HYC and has multiple criminal cases pending against him for fraudulent/illegal activities. The complainant would further allege that Ayub duped many persons including the complainant as there was no means to send any aid by road to Gaza as the borders to Palestine were closed and countries like USA and the UK and opting to send aid via air by military aircrafts. Counsel for the petitioner M.A. Mujeeb argued that there is no allegation against the petitioner and the sole accused in the alleged crime is Syed Ayub. He further argued that there is no reasonable ground to freeze the account of the petitioner. Per contra, the counsel appearing for the de-facto complainant contended that petitioner along with Syed Ayub is a habitual criminal and would allege that both are accused in multiple criminal cases pending against them. He further contended that police have ample power under the Code of Criminal Procedure to freeze the bank account of petitioner and sought for dismissal of the writ petition. The judge, however, required the petitioner to file the registration certificate, income tax returns and all other relevant material for further adjudication by July 22.

Court to examine state action on green spaces

The PIL panel of the Telangana High Court required the additional advocate-general to appraise the court about steps taken by the government for maintaining green spaces in various urban areas in Telangana. The panel comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Anil Kumar is dealing with two public interest litigations, one seeking adequate maintenance of the existing public parks, green spaces in various urban areas in the state, and another pertaining to illegal felling of 40 translocated trees from Manikonda cricket ground, Hyderabad. The panel heard both the PILs analogously and deferred hearing of PILs for the state to appraise the court about steps taken for maintaining green spaces, park areas, recreational areas and posted the matter to July 18.