Chief Justice raps Telangana high court staff for lethargy

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court expressed its wrath at the lethargy of the staff in putting up case files before the court after it has taken a decision, and asked the Registrar General to inquire into the matter and file a report to the Chief Justice.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy on Friday was hearing a writ appeal filed by Mr G. Subhash Reddy of Morthad, Nizamabad district, questioning the action of the AP State Financial Corporation taking possession of a five-acre plot of land belonging to him for failing to repay a loan.

Another division bench had directed the petitioner to approach the tribunal concerned, after informing him that he cannot file a writ petition in this regard. However, Mr Reddy again filed another appeal without taking cognizance of the court’s directions.

As the division bench had already given its decision, the petitioner should have moved the Supreme Court.

Identifying the mischief, Justice Radhakrishnan said, “The writ appeal is pushed through the track of registry and placed before us for hearing it for admission. 

The process of the journey of affidavits and documents from the registry to the bench is not like the journey on a conveyor belt that automatically carries things and there are no checks and control over the conveyor belt movement. But the journey between judicial wings is different. We are of the considered view that this incident shows the negligence of the staff who dealt with this plea.”

The bench was inclined to issue a judicial order to identify the person responsible for this mischief and punish him under the provisions of Contempt of Courts Act. “We recommend to the Chief Justice to take disciplinary proceedings against the errant staff. The majesty of the court will not fall with the petty mischief played by the offenders. Hence we do not intend to slap contempt case on them for now,” the bench said.