HC paves the way to raze secretariat

HC paves the way to raze secretariat

SagarKumar.Mutha@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:30.06.2020

In a huge relief to the TRS government, the Telangana high court on Monday paved the way for raising a new secretariat complex.

Dismissing a batch of petitions questioning state cabinet’s decision to demolish existing secretariat and raise a new one in its place, a bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy said the petitioners were not justified in terming cabinet decision as ‘arbitrary.’ HC also brushed aside contention of one of the advocates, Chikkudu Prabhakar, who argued that the present secretariat is a common secretariat for Telangana and AP and only the governor could take a decision.

The bench faulted the contention that government could ill afford spent huge amounts on construction of a new secretariat at a time when the state exchequer is overburdened with debts.

DEMOLITION AHEAD?

Cannot intervene in policy decision of state, high court tells petitioner

Expenditure and its source are the concern of a state and not of its taxpayer,” the judges reasoned said, while agreeing with advocate general BS Prasad, who cited an order of the Gujarat high court delivered in a similar case.

The bench made it clear that it cannot intervene in the policy decision of the state. “That too at a time when the decision has not been taken finally. We were asked to merely look at the process done so far leading to a possible final decision,” the judges said, declining to do so.

The judges said the petitioners were not justified in claiming that the present buildings are adequate for the government. They said the contention whether the present buildings are adequate or inadequate is an issue that the court cannot go into. “The words ‘adequate’ or ‘inadequate’ are relative terms. What may be sufficient and adequate for one party, need not necessarily be sufficient and adequate for another party. Therefore, it is for the government to decide whether the present buildings are adequate or inadequate for its needs and requirements.” The petitioners — Congress leader S Jeevan Reddy and others — along with Professor PL Vishweshwar Rao of Telangana Jana Samithi and a few others contended in their pleas that the cabinet took a final decision on June 18, 2019, to demolish the present secretariat and raise a new one in its place.

The juges ruled that though the state was sufficiently briefed about the need to demolish the present structure and raise a new secretariat — both by the technical committee and by its own cabinet sub-committee — a final decision by cabinet on whether to go for a new secretariat or to modify existing one has not yet been taken. “Obviously, the cabinet decision of June 18, 2019, cited by the petitioners was interim. Hence, they are not justified in terming the cabinet decision as arbitrary,” the HC said.

Dismissing Prabhakar’s argument, the bench said: “This is a highly misplaced contention because AP had long ago vacated this place. Hence, the question of it (secretariat) remaining a common property or warranting the intervention of the governor would not even arise.”

No flight from Saudi leaves T workers upset

Sushil.Rao@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:30.06.2020

Many people from Telangana, eager to return home from Gulf, were left disappointed as no flight has been scheduled from Saudi Arabia to Hyderabad during the fourth phase of Vande Bharat mission.

In the fourth phase that has been announced from Jeddah, flights will be operated to Kerala and Delhi, but no flight has been scheduled to land in Hyderabad. The Indian embassy in Riyadh announced the flight schedule to repatriate Indians in the wake of prevailing Covid-19 situation and extended lockdown. Mohammed Abdul Sayeed tweeted: “Not a single flight for Hyderabad? When will the embassy consider us as humans? We are being neglected. It has been eight months and we have not got (any) help. I am stuck here with family, two kids and with no job.”

Fahad Maqsusi, who was waiting to travel to Hyderabad, tweeted, “Not a single flight to Hyderabad? What is going on?” He also addressed chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, wondering if the government had decided to not permit flights to Hyderabad from Saudi, at least permission should be given for chartered flights. “Please understand the need, people are going into depression and falling sick,” he said.

Law saves marriage of inter-faith couple

Law saves marriage of inter-faith couple

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:30.06.2020

The Telangana high court intervention helped save the matrimony of a Muslim man and a Christian woman. The couple had gotten married just days before the lockdown but the woman’s parents took their daughter away soon after. For three months, he has been helpless due to the lockdown. In the end, he filed a habeas corpus plea charging that the woman’s parents had been illegally detaining her.

The high court directed local police to produce the woman before a court. She appeared before a bench through video conference and was asked by the judge if she wanted to go with her parents or her husband. She chose her husband. The HC then directed police to provide security to the couple as they had been facing threats from the bride’s parents.

The next morning, the groom’s lawyer told the court that the police and the bride’s father had come to the police station and were ill-treating the bride. The court asked the police to produce the bride immediately. However, when she came online with the court, the groom’s lawyer was unable to. The court though sought the bride’s version and after ascertaining the facts from her, directed police to send the bride with the groom immediately and also provide them security.

1st in India: T HC takes court to lawyers’ doors

1st in India: T HC takes court to lawyers’ doors

SagarKumar.Mutha@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad: 30.06.2020

In a first such initiative in the country, the Telangana high court has launched a mobile videoconference district court facility, taking technology to the doorstep of lawyers who have no computers or the internet facility at their homes, in Warangal on Monday.

In this facility, a mobile van would go to a designated area and lawyers have to simply get into the van, equipped with videoconference system, and argue their case. This facility, introduced in Warangal for the first time in the country, was inaugurated by high court Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice P Naveen Rao on Monday through online mode. In Warangal, principal district judge K Jaya Kumar and district collector, who provided the van, were present when the facility was inaugurated.

The mobile court inaugurated in Warangal on Monday

Dist judiciary too goes digital

Known for its pioneering digital court initiative in the country, the Telangana high court had gone virtual and were holding courts through videoconferencing mode ever since the lockdown was announced three months ago. For lawyers not tech savvy, separate computer rooms were allotted at Judicial Academy in Secunderabad.

Now, district judiciary too is going digital. “If the experiment in Warangal is successful, then we will ask all district collectors to provide vans with computers to provide virtual argument space for lawyers at their doorstep if they are unable to equip themselves at their homes on their own,” high court registrar general A Venkateswar Reddy said.

No pay for 3 mths, nurses block highway

No pay for 3 mths, nurses block highway

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Panipat:30.06.2020

The nursing staff of NC Medical College, a Covid-19 hospital here, blocked the Panipat -Rohtak highway in Israna on Monday in protest over not being paid salaries for three months.

The protesters said they were working round-the-clock in difficult circumstances, without caring for their own lives, but they have not been getting their salaries on time and it was getting difficult to make ends meet.

They asked the management to also increase their salaries, pay them a Covid allowance and provide adequate safety kits.

The road was blocked for around half hour. To pacify protesters, police and local tehsildar Jagdish Chander reached the spot and assured them resolution of their problems.

Court stays move to hold exam for science admissions

Court stays move to hold exam for science admissions

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chandigarh:30.06.2020

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday stayed the decision taken by Board of School Education Haryana to conduct science examination compulsorily for those students who opted for science stream in Class XI.

The science examination of Class X could not be conducted by the board on account of lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic. The court has also issued a notice to the state education board as well as the state government, seeking their response on the issue.

Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul of the HC passed these orders while hearing a petition filed by NISA Education through its president Kulbhushan Sharma and Haryana Private School and Children Welfare Trust. The petitioners challenged the move, citing press notes dated June 7 and June 12, issued by the state education board, directing the students willing to opt for the science stream in Class XI to take an examination. The authorities of schools were also directed to upload the consent of such students for the examination on the website of the board by June 17, failing which the report/result of the students would be treated as ‘zero’.

Pankaj Maini, counsel for the petitioners, submitted that they are primarily aggrieved from the decision taken by the board to hold the examination of science for those students who opted for the subject in Class XI and exempted students of other streams.

According to the counsel, such a decision of board is not only discrimination with students opting for science subject, but also in a situation like pandemic, it would be extremely difficult for the schools to arrange infrastructure to hold the examination.

The HC was also informed that the higher and technical education departments of the state of Haryana has already decided through a notification issued on June 23 to defer the examination to be conducted by the university and colleges of state of Haryana by promoting all the students.

The petitioners submitted that the Board of School Education Haryana can also adopt the same criteria vis-avis the students of secondary examination by declaring their results to protect the students and the schools from facing severe hardship.

The science exam of Class X could not be conducted by the board on account of Covid-19 lockdown

50% staff of govt schools can report for work: Admn

50% staff of govt schools can report for work: Admn

Kamini.Mehta@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh: 30.06.2020

Confusion in government schools on Monday over the number of teachers to be allowed to report for work spurred the UT education department to let principals call 50% teaching and non-teaching staff till further orders.

Rubinderjit Singh Brar, director school education, said, “The schools will be asked to call 50% of staff to schools. The matter was discussed but a decision was awaited.” The discussion had taken place last week.

The orders said, “The department of school education, UT, has decided to allow principals/heads/ in-charges of all government and government-aided schools to call teaching and non-teaching staff to the extent of 50% till further orders by following social distancing and hygiene safety.”

On June 9, the department had first issued orders allowing school heads and principals to call 25% teaching and non-teaching staff for urgent administrative works from June 15.

Sources said the department had discussed calling 50% of staff to schools from June 29 in a meeting held on July 23. Other points like conducting of online admissions for pre-nursery to Class IX and suggestions for holding compartment exams for Class IX students were sought.

Teachers were told to maintain a daily record in a diary and make online videos and assignments for each week. “The department could any time ask the cluster head to provide videos and assignments for online teaching,” sources said. School heads of government schools were also asked to share details of vacancies. This because many teachers are expected to retire in September.

Back to work

The orders said, “The department of school education, UT, has decided to allow principals, heads, in-charges of all government and government-aided schools to call teaching and non-teaching staff to the extent of 50% till further orders by following social distancing and hygiene safety.” On June 9, the department had first issued orders allowing school heads and principals to call 25% teaching and non-teaching staff for urgent administrative works from June 15.