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Telangana HC admits plea for more compensation

Hyderabad: Justice T. Vinod Kumar of Telangana High Court allowed a writ plea seeking additional compensation and rehabilitation benefits under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, despite land acquisition proceedings originally initiated under the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. The judge was hearing a writ plea filed by Kandukuri Prabhakara Chary, challenging the land acquisition process for his property situated in Ladnapur village, Ramagiri Mandal, Peddapalli district. Although acquisition notifications were issued in 2012 and an award was granted in 2015, the petitioner only received his compensation in 2018. The petitioner contended that as compensation was paid after the enactment of the 2013 Act, he was eligible for its enhanced benefits, including a rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) package. The petitioner further argued that the authorities bypassed required procedures mandated in the state government’s GO dated December 19, 2014, which outlines fair compensation protocols for land acquisition cases. The petitioner also claimed that officials proceeded with taking possession of his land, going so far as to disconnect electricity to his property, without providing the necessary R&R entitlements. The judge after hearing the contentions raised by the petitioner questioned the petitioner’s reliance on the 2013 Act, given that the acquisition process had been conducted under the 1894 Act. The judge also expressed concerns about the delay, noting that the petitioner waited eight years since the award was issued to file his claim. The judge pointed out that petitioner accepted the compensation without protest at that time, raising doubts about his entitlement to benefits under the 2013 Act. The judge found that the claim of the petitioner for R&R benefits was unfounded and characterised him as an opportunistic litigant claiming benefits. The judge ruled that the petitioner was not eligible for benefits under the 2013 Act, emphasising that land acquisition proceedings, once initiated under the 1894 Act and finalised without protest, cannot be revisited under subsequent legislation.

Plea against PCB’s fine in HC

A two judge panel of the Telangana High Court began hearing a writ plea on the legality of imposition of Rs 1.55 crore for environmental compensation. The panel of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao was hearing a writ plea filed by M/s. Optimus Drugs Private Limited. The petitioner said that the imposition of such compensation when its industry was not causing pollution was unjust and illegal. It pointed out that the company had not violated any of the conditions imposed by the National Green Tribunal. The Pollution Control Board, however, sought extra time to file an additional affidavit in the matter.

Sportspersons' plea on SGT quota

Justice Pulla Karthik of Telangana High Court took on file a writ plea challenging the actions of the commissioner and director of school education in not selecting several sportsperson under sportspersons’ quota for the post of secondary grade teachers (SGT). The judge was dealing with a writ plea filed by Ravichetti Srinivas and 10 others, alleging that the respondent authorities are acting in contravention of the GO dated August 9, 2012 issued by the Youth Advancement Tourism and Culture Sports Department and notification dated February 29, 2024. The petitioners sought a direction to the respondents for considering the eligible candidates as per the merit including the petitioners in accordance with the preference of sports disciplines. The petitioners further sought preference in 2 percentage reservation for direct recruitment in government departments and government institutions from the recognised sports. After hearing the petitioners, the judge directed the respondent authorities to file their response and posted the matter for further adjudication.

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