Andhra Pradesh, Telangana told to apportion assets and liabilities of Telugu Academy
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed the Telugu Academy and the governments of Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh to apportion the assets and liabilities of the academy as had existed on June 2, 2014, between the AP Telugu Academy Society and the Telugu Academy at Hyderabad.
This must be done as per provisions in Section 53(1) of the AP Reorganisation Act 2014 in the ratio 58.32 to 41.68 within two months.
A division bench of Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice T. Amarnath Goud issued these directions in response to a plea from 17 outsourcing employees of the Telugu Academy. All were working at the centre in Vijaywada. They had been appointed on contract/daily-wage basis as data entry operators and hamalis from 2002.
Since employees were not allocated between the successor entities even after June 2, 2014, they remained under the administrative control of the Telugu Academy at Hyderabad, which is under control of the Telangana state government. Their salaries were paid by it, though the petitioners are working in the regional centers situated in the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.
They complained that because of their AP nativity, they were refused grant of enhanced salary and wages from 2013 while the same was granted to those employed in the regional centres in Telangana state and the head office at Hyderabad.
The court directed the Telugu Academy in Hyderabad to pay wages to the petitioners on par with those employed in similar capacities in Telangana state from December 1, 2019, within six weeks.
The court directed both the Telugu academies of Telangana and AP to discuss and agree on the modalities/guidelines for allocation of employees as on June 2, 2014, including the petitioners, within two months.
