Twenty feet Ganesh idol best: Hyderabad High Court

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Monday suggested to the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti to take steps to ensure that height of Ganesh idols installed in pandals during the Ganesh festival do not cross 20 feet.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao made this suggestion while dealing with a petition by M. Venu Madhav, an advocate, complaining that the earlier orders of the court were not being complied with regard to immersion of Ganesh idols.

When the bench said that permission from the competent authority was required for installation of Ganesh idols, a representative of the Samiti urged the court to allow them to engage counsel to argue their case. While granting permission, the bench adjourned the hearing.

The Hyderabad High Court on Monday sought to know from the TS government whether a special chief secretary has the power to restore a lease agreement on behalf of the government in favour of a private party.

A division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao, was dealing with petition challenging the action of the erstwhile AP government in restoring an agreement to develop an entertainment centre in respect of a 5.63 acres of prime land, known as the Old Gandhi Medical College land in Basheerbagh, to a private party.

The government had in 2012 cancelled the 2006-lease deed following the failure of the developer to build an urban entertainment centre consisting of multiplexes and shopping malls on the land.

TS AAG J. Ramachandra Rao told the court that the authorities committed fraud in restoring the lease agreement and the special chief secretary of tourism of undivided AP state restored the lease in an unlawful manner at the instance of the then tourism minister.

He said that the then Chief Minister had resigned and President’s Rule was in effect at the time the lease was restored. Counsel for the developers argued that it was unfair to penalise his client for what had happened. He said that agitation in separate Telangana had resulted in stagnation and collapse of land prices.
The bench adjourned the case to Tuesday.

Rapping revenue authorities for taking “mindless” decisions which are causing farmer suicides, the Hyderabad High Court on Monday granted relief to hundreds of poor farmers of six villages in Gattu mandal of Mahbubnagar district, by staying the process of forcible resumption of assigned land from them.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao, while dealing with a PIL by B. Konda Reddy, an advocate, challenging the illegal eviction of about 1,500 poor agriculturists from lands that were assigned to them several decades ago, asked under which law had the local tahsildar resorted to the evictions.

The bench said, “We are sure that at least half a dozen farmers could resort to suicide due to the mindless act of the tahsildar. If any of such incidents come to our notice, the tahsildar will be held responsible.”

Sarasani Satyam Reddy, senior counsel appearing for the petitioner told the court that the government proposed a solar power plant in Gattu mandal and following this, the tahsildar issued notices to farmers of  Kalur Thimman Doddi, Kuchinerla, Aluru, Rayapuram, Mallapuram and Thummala Cheruvu villages and passed orders for their eviction from more than 5,000 acres of assigned land.

When the bench enquired with government counsel, he replied that notices were served to 600 farmers. While staying the notices issued so far and the resumption orders, the bench declared that the land should be restored to the farmers forthwith.

The bench directed the district collector to ensure that the tahsildar is not allowed to issue any more notices. The collector was also directed to probe the misdeeds of the tahsildar.

Sujana moves HC, wants NBW quashed
Union minister Y. Sujana Chowdary on Monday moved the Hyderabad High Court seeking quashing of the proceedings along with the non-bailable warrant issued by the XII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on a complaint filed by the Mauritius Commercial Bank.

Mr Chowdary submitted that the complaint was an attempt to tarnish his image and an arm-twisting tactic to force him into arriving at some commercial settlement.

He contended that the trial court erred in appreciating the fact that there was no specific allegation against him. He urged the High Court to stay all further proceedings, including the NBW, till the disposal of his review petition filed before the trial court.