HC dismisses interim application of Koppula: Petition challenging his election

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court single bench of Justice K. Lakshman on Tuesday dismissed the interim application filed by minister Koppula Eshwar seeking a direction to dismiss the main election petition against him.

Justice Lakshman was hearing the election petition filed by Adluri Lakshman Kumar Theegala of the Congress party, who lost to Eshwar in the 2018 election.

The petitioner alleged that Eshwar won the elections by resorting to malpractice and other means, contrary to rules under the Representation of the Peoples Act.

The judge adjourned hearing in the case to August 7.

PIL seeking direction to State govt to extend relief to flood victims

Report on relief measures furnished; HC directs State to file another report

The High Court’s division bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T Vinod Kumar, on Tuesday pointed out that the State in its report on the devastating floods-2023, though mentioned that 41 persons died, there was no mention of five persons in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district and the impending danger to lives of people in low-lying areas of Kadiyam dam in Nirmal district, which is overflowing.

The court felt certain important information on floods was not furnished in the report; it sought another report on the relief measures taken up by the State to circumvent the apathy and ordeal of the flood victims.

The bench directed the State to inform the number of deaths in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district on account of floods; the action taken to conduct search and recovery operations to locate missing persons and provide support to families of those who died; whether the government established the toll-free number/helpline number to report missing family members along with the call centres to maintain information of individuals found and living in shelter homes; steps taken to restore essential services in flood-affected areas(telephones, electricity, internet); steps taken to offer psychological support to the victims, who experienced trauma and loss during the floods.

The court observed that the flood water has started receding which gives scope for spread of epidemics; to their spread it asked the State to take special measures under Section 2 of the Disaster Management Act, 1897 and ensure well-being of the victims.

The court also observed that the State shall continue to provide relief to the victims. The bench recorded the contention of Chikkudu Prabhakar, counsel for the petitioner in the PIL that, though the Indian Meteorological department, through its alert on 19 July had alerted the government that there is a threat of heavy floods, the State ignored it. Had the government heeded to the alert, lives of innocent people could have been saved.

HarenderPershad, special government pleader, read out the filed report and informed the court all steps are being taken by the State on shifting flood victims to safer places, shelter homes, providing them food and other essentials as the collectors are working 24x7 monitoring the situation and extending all relief measures. Reports on floods are being obtained by the collectors on a daily basis,

He said 41 persons across the State have died in floods; the NDRF, SDRF, air force, army and police have been pressed into service to shift the victims to safer places, including 80 tourists. As many as 162 shelter homes/camps have been set up to support 14,216 persons.

Hearing in the case was adjourned to August 4 for filing a fresh report on relief measures.

The bench was adjudicating the PIL filed by Dr Cheruku Sudhakar, seeking directions to the Union of India and the TS government to extend relief measures to the flood victims of 2020; further by filing an interim application in the PIL seeking a direction to extend relief measures to the 2023 flood victims.

HC directs govt to furnish orders appointing chairman & members of Telangana Commission for SCs, STs by Sept.15.

The division bench directed the government to furnish orders appointing the chairman and members of the Telangana Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to court by September 15.

The bench was adjudicating the PIL filed by Ganesh Rao and J Shankar of Secunderabad and Karimnagar district, seeking a direction to the government to fill posts of chairman and members of the commission, which are vacant since a long time.

Due to non-filling up of vacancies aggrieved persons, approaching the commission are going back without redress of grievance.

Earlier, on February 28 this year the bench while hearing the PIL, issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (SC development POA A1 department) and the commission directing them to take appropriate steps to fill the vacant posts. Hearing in the case was adjourned to September 15