HC tells Telangana to appoint SC, ST panel in four weeks

Hyderabad: A division bench of Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili directed the TS government to appoint the Commission for Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes within four weeks. If failed in doing so, it also directed the principal secretary to the social welfare department to appear in person before the court and explain the reasons for not appointing the commission despite the fact that the term of the existing commission expired over a year ago.

The court was adjudicating a PIL filed by Medipally Satyam, agriculturist and in-charge of Choppadandi constituency for TPCC, Karimnagar district. T. Rajnikanth Reddy, counsel for the petitioner, informed the court that due to non functioning of the SC, ST Comm-ission in TS, people approaching the commission were deprived of timely justice.

He further informed the high court that there was no commission during 2014-17 and the term of the existing commission expired on 21 February 2021.