Sale of spurious seeds in TG: HC issues notice to State govt, Centre

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court’s division bench, comprising CJ Alok and Justice Julakanti Anil Kumar, issued notices to the secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture, CEO, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Delhi, secretary, Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and climate change, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (agriculture), Telangana, and the commissioner and director, Agriculture and Cooperation department, to respond within four weeks.

The bench was adjudicating the PIL filed by Ravi Krishna Vattam, an advocate from Beeramguda, Sangareddy district, aggrieved by the inaction of the State and the Central government in not containing the sale of spurious in Telangana, due to which farmers are facing the risk of losing crop yield.

The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that the State and the Union governments have not taken tangible steps to contain spurious / counterfeit / fake / misbranded pesticides in the interest of farmers and the public. To thwart the sale of spurious seeds, the counsel sought a direction to the State government to: (i) notify in the Gazette instructing distributors and licensed shop owners to submit samples of pesticides and insecticides so that they can be analysed for quality; (ii) publish details of samples collected from distributors /licensed shops; and take action against persons who resort to illegal sale.

PIL to extend mental health facilities to needy in State: HC takes up Suo Motu case

Notices issued to State govt directing it to file response within four weeks

On Friday, the HC division bench issued notices to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Chief Secretary, Telangana, Principal Secretary (Medical and Health and Family Welfare), Commissioner, Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, Director, Public Health and Family Welfare, Superintendent, Government Mental Hospital, Vikaspuri, Erragadda, directing them to respond within four weeks.

The bench was adjudicating the Suo Motu had taken up PIL by converting the letter dated July 23, 2024, addressed by Rapolu Bhaskar, a practicing HC advocate, to the CJ. The advocate sought a direction to the State and the Union governments to implement provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, which mandates the appointment of the State authority and district committees to provide mental health facilities and treatment to the needy and protect the eight lakh mentally disabled persons, most of them from SC, ST communities, in Telangana.

The petitioner told the court that the family members of mentally unstable and ill persons are disowning them, due to which they are suffering; the majority of victims are committing suicide. The absence of any help from the State government is making their lives worse. The hearing in the case was adjourned by four weeks for filing a counter-affidavit.

Batch of writ petitions seeking disqualification of BRS MLAs who joined Cong

On Friday, the HC single bench of Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy adjudicated the batch of writ petitions filed by the BRS party leaders seeking a direction to the Assembly Speaker to disqualify all the BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress party.

Mayur Reddy, senior counsel representing MLA Kadiam Srihari, will continue his arguments on July 31.

The judge was hearing the three writ petitions, viz., (i) WPNo. 9472/2024 filed by Padi Kaushik Reddy, BRS MLA (Huzurabad), seeking disqualification of MLA Danam Nagender; (ii) WP.11098/24 filed by Kuna Pandu Vivekananda, BRS MLA, seeking disqualification of MLAs Tellam Venkata Rao(Bhadradri Koghagudem) and MLA Kadiam Srihari (Ghanpur),(iii) WP.18553/2024 filed by BJP MLA Alleti Maheshwar Reddy (Nirmal), seeking disqualification of Nagender.