Latest news with #HighCourtofTelangana
New Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Telangana HC seeks report on steps taken to safeguard KLIS
HYDERABAD: The High Court of Telangana has directed the state government to submit a detailed report on the measures taken to protect the Kaleshwaram project while dealing with a PIL filed in 2020 by one Dr Cheruku Sudhakar, alleging that the government had failed to take adequate measures under the Disaster Management Act. On Tuesday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin resumed hearing the case. The petitioner's counsel argued that under Section 39 of the Disaster Management Act, the government is required to take long-term measures for flood prevention. He said that though the court in September 2023 had directed the government to submit a report on the steps taken to safeguard the project, its order was not complied with. He alleged that despite the government's assurance that it would submit the report as soon as it received inputs from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), nearly two years had passed without compliance. He warned that another major flood could severely impact Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts, putting inhabited areas at risk of submersion. Special government pleader Pottigari Sridhar Reddy, representing the state, sought additional time to file the report and provide updated details. Accepting the request, the bench adjourned the hearing to August 28.
The Hindu
28-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Telangana HC hears Vacate Petitions filed by senior IAS and IPS officers on land at Nagaram
The High Court of Telangana on Monday heard the Vacate Petitions filed by senior IAS and IPS officers and questioned the writ petitioner Birla Mallesh about his locus standi to file the writ petition concerned with Survey No. 194 of Nagaram village. Senior counsels appearing for the officers, have pointed out that Birla Jangamma, mother of the writ petitioner, had already filed a writ petition in the year 2024 and it was disposed. The writ petitioner with a malafide intention to tarnish the image of IAS and IPS officers has not disclosed the WP filed by his mother and disposed of in 2024 to the High Court, they argued. Senior counsels P. Raghuram and Chandrasen Reddy have further argued that the petitioner, after obtaining interim orders stating Survey No. 194 of Nagaram village as Bhoodan land, has changed his stand that the land is not Bhoodan land but government land. The petitioner also suppressed various material facts misrepresenting that Survey No. 194 of Nagaram village is a Bhoodan land. The counsel for petitioner sought two weeks of time from the Court, but the Court declined the request and posted the matter to tomorrow (July 29) for hearing.
The Hindu
25-07-2025
- The Hindu
PIL in High Court for speedy investigation and disbursal of compensation to Sigachi victims
A public interest litigation has been filed in the High Court of Telangana seeking directions for expediting investigation into the recent blast at the chemical factory at Pashamylaram on June 30, and payment of compensation to the kin of the victims. The blast resulted in 46 deaths, while eight workers are missing. Retired scientist Kalapala Baburao approached the court, making the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Labour & Employment, special chief secretaries of Disaster Management, Industries & Commerce, Home, Health, Medical & Family Welfare, Chairperson of the Telangana Pollution Control Board, Commissioner of Labour, Sangareddy District Collector and Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Sigachi Industries as respondents. Citing a fact-finding mission which the petitioner was a part of, the PIL document said majority of the deceased and injured workers were migrants from States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and worked as casual labourers for daily wages ranging between ₹500-750 per head. The petitioner also raised doubts about the number of workers who had attended the duty on the fateful day. While the company maintained that there were only 143 workers, enquiries by the fact finding mission revealed that the number was 163. Attendance registers and the in/out logs maintained by the Security have details about the exact number of workers, but they have been confiscated by the police. While the company has claimed that the traces of eight workers have not been found at the blast site, their disappearance coupled with the stony silence of the company and the police has caused extreme distress to the aggrieved families, the petitioner noted. CC camera footage could reveal if the workers entered the factory on the said day, but it is being deliberately delayed, he alleged. The PIL document said that the company had taken no measures to address the risks of ignition of combustible dust, nor did the inspection and regulatory authorities under the Factories Act, 1948 fulfil their duties of documenting and penalising the absence of safety protocols. This is contrary to the globally recognised standards for mitigating combustible dust risks. Further, Sigachi Industries' Material Safety Data Sheet for Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) wrongly stated that the product did not present an explosion hazard, ignoring well-established global safety standards that classify their product — Microcrystalline Cellulose — as a combustible dust. This omission has fostered a dangerous complacency, the petitioner alleged. Over nearly 35 years, inspections conducted by the Director of Factories consistently failed to identify MCC as a combustible dust hazard. Despite its widespread industrial use and international recognition as an explosible particulate, no corrective action, risk assessment, or Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) was mandated or recommended. The petitioner prayed for directions towards constitution of a special investigation team to enquire into the case, payment of compensation in full to the families of the victims, immediate release of the report of the high powered committee announced by the chief minister in the aftermath of the blast, and recognition of the danger posed by industrial dust accumulations under existing factory regulations, among others. Under interim relief, among others, the petitioner sought directions for revealing the exact number of workers on the day of the blast, and declaration of the eight missing workers as deceased.
Indian Express
29-06-2025
- Indian Express
Telangana HC overturns conviction for driving without insurance and causing nuisance, acquits man citing ‘procedural lapse'
The High Court of Telangana acquitted an individual who was convicted by a trial court for driving a motorbike without insurance and causing public nuisance, citing the conviction's failure to follow proper legal procedure. Justice Juvvadi Sridevi on Friday overturned the lower court's order from January 9, 2019, where it sentenced the individual to undergo simple imprisonment for one day for the offence under Section 3(3) of the Town Nuisance Act and further sentenced him to undergo simple imprisonment for two days and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 for the offence under Section 196 of the Motor Vehicles Act, based on what it recorded as an admission of guilt. The case dates back to December 26, 2018, in Sangareddy town, where the police alleged that the petitioner was found driving a vehicle on the wrong side of the road and without valid insurance. The petitioner had contended that he never pleaded guilty and that the trial court 'without posing any questions, upon its own recording, convicted and sentenced him.' The petitioner contended that 'the learned Magistrate failed to record the plea of guilty as nearly as possible in the words used by the accused, as required under Section 252 Cr.P.C (Code of Criminal Procedure).' 'It is mandatory for a Magistrate to record the plea of guilty as nearly as possible in the words used by the petitioner-accused… Violation of such mandatory requirement renders the conviction as 'illegal',' the high court stated in its order. 'This Court is of the firm opinion that the learned trial Court has failed to follow the procedure contemplated under Section 252 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and also failed to satisfy himself that the allegations in the charge sheet do constitute an offence or not, which amounts to gross illegality and irregularity,' the Telangana High Court noted pointing to a procedural lapse. While scrutinising the evidence presented in the chargesheet, the Court observed that apart from photographs of a parked vehicle, there was insufficient 'incriminating material' to prove that the petitioner-accused was actually 'driving' the vehicle on the wrong side of the road. The Court also found that the vehicle in question had a 'valid and effective insurance' policy in force during the alleged period of the offence. Setting aside the trial court's judgment and conviction, the high court acquitted the petitioner of both charges, and any fine amount paid is directed to be refunded. Rahul V Pisharody is an Assistant Editor with the Indian Express Online and has been reporting from Telangana on various issues since 2019. Besides a focused approach to big news developments, Rahul has a keen interest in stories about Hyderabad and its inhabitants and looks out for interesting features on the city's heritage, environment, history culture etc. His articles are straightforward and simple reads in sync with the context. Rahul started his career as a journalist in 2011 with The New Indian Express and worked in different roles at the Hyderabad bureau for over 8 years. As Deputy Metro Editor, he was in charge of the Hyderabad bureau of the newspaper and coordinated with the team of district correspondents, centres and internet desk for over three years. A native of Palakkad in Kerala, Rahul has a Master's degree in Communication (Print and New Media) from the University of Hyderabad and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. Long motorcycle rides and travel photography are among his other interests. ... Read More
Hans India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Telangana High Court Orders Local Body Elections Within Three Months
In a significant ruling on Wednesday, the High Court of Telangana mandated the state government and the State Election Commission to conduct Gram Panchayat elections within the next three months. The verdict was delivered by Justice T. Madhavi Devi, following the conclusion of arguments on six petitions concerning the local body elections, which were reserved for judgement on Monday. The court's decision underscores the urgency of facilitating democratic processes at the grassroots level. This ruling prompts the state authorities to prepare for the upcoming elections, aiming to enhance local governance and representation in the region.
