HC grants interim stay on GO cancelling ex-MP's ST certificate

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday granted an interim stay for a period of eight weeks on implementation of GO No. 2, which cancelled the scheduled tribe caste certificate issued to former MP Kothapalli Geetha.

A single-judge bench headed by Justice N. Jayasurya posted the next hearing to February 9.

Petitioner Geetha’s counsel Sarva Satyanarayana Prasad underlined that the then district collector had carried out a survey before issuing the caste certificate to Geetha in 2016 stating that she belonged to the ST community.

The counsel submitted that AP Scheduled Tribes Employees Welfare Association filed an appeal before the principal secretary (Social Welfare) in the same year, raising objection over the ST caste certificate being issued to her.

Subsequently, the association filed a petition in the High Court complaining that the principal secretary is not taking any action on its appeal.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the court then issued directions to them to submit written objections on their appeal in two weeks’ time. The court also directed the principal secretary not to take any action until that time.

However, counsel Satyanarayana Prasad submitted to the court that even before the completion of two weeks, the principal secretary took a decision on the appeal, resulting in the state government issuing a GO cancelling the caste certificate issued to Kothapalli Geetha. The counsel contended that this amounted to contempt of court.

After hearing both the parties, the court granted an interim stay on the GO for eight weeks and directed them to file their counters.