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New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
Enforcement of helmet rule nets Rs 2.28 crore in Andhra's NTR
VIJAYAWADA: In a sustained crackdown on traffic violations, the NTR district police collected Rs 2.28 crore in fines over the past five months, from January 1 to May 31, as part of a rigorous road safety drive. The intensified enforcement followed directives from Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, who urged strict implementation of the helmet rule for two-wheeler riders. Citing alarming statistics, the High Court noted that over 660 motorcyclists lost their lives in road accidents across the state in 2024. Check posts were set up at major entry points, including Prakasam Barrage, Ramavarappadu, and Kanakadurga Varadhi. Since January, police have issued nearly 90,000 challans for various violations such as riding without helmets, driving on the wrong side, and lacking valid licences. Officials said 62,128 challans issued in 2025 have already been paid, yielding Rs 2.28 crore in revenue. In comparison, of the 1.33 lakh e-challans issued last year, only 43,622 were cleared, bringing in Rs 1.88 crore. The remaining challans from 2024 remain unpaid. 'There has been a marked improvement in helmet usage,' said traffic police officials, noting the use of enhanced penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act. Enforcement is also being aided by CCTV surveillance and advanced cameras at key traffic signals. 'We identify violators using vehicle registration numbers and send notices. In some cases, commuters are fined on the spot,' they added.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
No discretionary ouster of nominated members, says Andhra Pradesh HC
VIJAYAWADA: In a significant ruling, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has struck down the State government's move to remove nominated members from their posts for political reasons before the expiry of their tenure. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, and Justice Ch Ravi, in a recent verdict, made it clear that the government lacks legal authority to issue orders for removal or resignation of nominated members without statutory provisions. It rejected the application of the 'Doctrine of Pleasure', which permits discretionary removal, emphasising that such power cannot be exercised without legal backing. The case centres on the government's action against nominated members of the District Livestock Development Associations (DLDAs) in Prakasam, West Godavari, Vizianagaram and Chittoor. The government issued a note on June 7, 2024, directing collectors to secure resignations from nominated chairpersons, directors and members of various corporations, educational institutions, and autonomous bodies, including DLDAs.
New Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Petro products sale: HC rejects PIL for CBI probe
VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) requesting a CBI investigation into the alleged illegal sale of petroleum products, originally intended for Yanam in Puducherry, in AP. The PIL, filed by A Bhima Naga Ramesh from Rajamahendravaram, was rejected by a bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Cheemalapati Ravi. The court ruled that a CBI probe was not required as the State authorities are actively conducting inspections and taking action against violators. It noted that the Supreme Court has repeatedly clarified that the CBI probe should only be ordered in exceptional cases. The bench found no compelling reasons to transfer the investigation from the State police to the CBI, as the petitioner failed to substantiate the need for such intervention. The court further observed that the petroleum companies have been vigilant, conducting inquiries and taking action against the officials involved in irregularities. Bar Council's action The AP Bar Council has taken decisive action against lawyers who enrolled using fake educational certificates, announcing their removal from the rolls. Secretary Padmalatha issued a notification listing individuals to be struck off, following orders from the Bar Council of India, and the State's enrolment committee.
India.com
07-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
AP High Court Admits PIL On APMDC, Notice Issued To Centre And State; Response Sought In Four Weeks
The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the state government's move to raise nearly Rs 9,000 crore in loans allegedly by leveraging the assets and name of the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC). A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Ravi Cheemalapati issued notices to both the central and state governments, directing them to submit their counter-affidavits within four weeks. The PIL was filed by YSR Congress Party MLC and General Secretary Lella Appi Reddy, who accused the Chandrababu Naidu-led government of violating constitutional norms and endangering the financial health of both APMDC and the state. Senior advocate P. Veera Reddy represented the petitioner in court. According to the petition, the state government is allegedly pledging the state treasury as collateral to secure private loans through APMDC, a move that the petitioner claimed could grant private lenders direct access to the consolidated fund of the state in the event of loan default. This is reportedly the first instance in Andhra Pradesh's history where such a mechanism has been used, raising concerns about its legality and long-term financial implications. The PIL also warned that APMDC, once a stable and profitable public sector enterprise, is now being dragged toward insolvency due to these controversial borrowing methods. The court will take up the matter after the completion of the four-week response period.
The Hindu
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Andhra Pradesh High Court calls for data pertaining to ‘sewer deaths' from 1993
The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the Commissioner of Municipal Administration to collect data pertaining to the death of workers during the cleaning up of sewers from all the municipal corporations, municipalities and other local bodies from the year 1993, in order to pay compensation and rehabilitate their families as per norms. A Bench headed by Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Ravi Cheemalapati said the data should reflect the exact number of 'sewer deaths' as the issue of payment of compensation could not be restricted to the case of Meda Manikyala Rao, a contract worker, who died due to inhalation of toxic fumes in a manhole (in Vijayawada city) that he had entered for cleaning. The data collection was intended to compensate the families of all those who died under such situations. Hearing a PIL filed by advocate P. Raviteja on behalf of T. Daalaiah, a retired employee, for justice to be done to manual scavengers, in compliance with the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act, 2013, on April 23, 2025, the judges said the Commissioner of Municipal Administration should also gather information from the unions working for the welfare and benefit of such workers. The matter was posted for further hearing to July 16, 2025. As far as the death of Manikyala Rao was concerned, the court ordered that the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation pay ₹20 lakh to his family, in addition to ₹10 lakh that had already been given, as per the Supreme Court judgments in the cases of Balram Singh vs. Union of India and others, and Safai Karamchari vs. Union of India and others. The court also directed that the State provide employment to Manikyala Rao's wife in order to ensure full rehabilitation to the next of their kin, including education to the wards, and appropriate skill training as mandated by the Supreme Court within two months from the above date. Responsibility in the form of monetary liability had to be pinned on the agencies for which the workers did manual scavenging. If the sewer workers who lost their lives were directly working under the control and supervision of the regular employees of the corporations, municipalities and other local bodies, such officers should also be held accountable by making appropriate remarks in their service records so as to prevent them from seeking promotion, the court ordered.
