Is Christian Bhavan for public benefit? Hyderabad High Court to decide

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday granted partial relief to the Telangana state government by staying the orders of a single judge who ordered return of the land allotted for the Christian Bhavan to the assigned land holder.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice G. Shyam Prasad was dealing with an appeal by the state government. The bench directed the government not to start constructions on the land till the single judge disposes of the case after hearing the state government.

The bench said that it had to examine the question whether the land allotment for the Christian Bhavan falls under the benefit of public or for the benefit of a particular community. Till it has decided, no construction has to be made on the land. The bench said that since the land in the possession of the government, it has to be remain in its possession till the final disposal of the case.

On December 19, a single judge directed the authorities not to take up the construction of the Bhavan on a three-acre parcel of land at Yapral as one Ms M. Gangavathi and two other petitioners had claimed that the land was assigned to them in 1962.

The advocate general told the bench that the judge had granted the order without hearing the government. He said that the land was resumed by the government in 2016 after issuing a notice to the assigned land holders. He told the court if the land was pro-ved to belonging to the petitioners, the government would  acquire the land by paying compensation.

HC warns AP on gang rape case 

The Hyderabad HC on Wed-nesday expressed anger at AP officials for delaying the appointment of special public prosecutors for the Vakapalli gang rape case despite a Supreme Court order to complete the trial within six months.
Justice M. Seetharama Murti, while dealing with a petition by nine victims belonging to the tribal community, cautioned that if the appointments were not made by January 2, he would pass orders imposing heavy costs on the officials.

The judge on December 22 had reserved his order to December 27 on the petiti-on of the victims seeking a direction to the AP government to appoint special pu-blic prosecutor and assistant prosecutor to conduct the trial before the 11th additional district sessions judge-cum-special court under the SC, ST (Prev-ention of Atrocities) Act in Visakhapatnam against 13 Greyhounds personnel.

When this came up for hearing, AP counsel urged the court to adjourn the hearing as the application of the victims to principal secretary, home, was under process and orders would be issued in a few days.

Reacting to this, Justice Murti made it clear that the appointments should be completed by January 22, otherwise the collector and principal secretary, home, have to pay exemplary costs to the petitioners.

On August 20, 2007, 11 tribal women of Vakapalli in Nurmati panchayat of G. Madugula mandal in the agency area of Visakha-patnam district were allegedly gang-raped by 21 personnel of the Greyhounds.