Telangana High Court Issues Notices on GHMC Ordinance
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court, with a division bench consisting of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao, has issued notices to several state officials. These include the State Chief Secretary, the Secretary of Legal Affairs, Legislative Affairs & Justice, and the Principal Secretary of Municipal Administration. The court has asked them to respond within three weeks regarding an ordinance that gives HYDRA (Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority) increased powers, which were previously held by the GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) Commissioner.
The ordinance, published in The Telangana Gazette, allows HYDRA to take more action in protecting public assets such as lakes, nalas (drainage channels), and other government properties. It also gives HYDRA authority to demolish illegal buildings. The petitioner, Manchireddy Prashanth Kumar Reddy, a former corporator, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) asking for the ordinance to be suspended.
The key change introduced by the ordinance is the addition of clause 384-B to the GHMC Act, 1955. This clause gives the government the power to authorize any officer or agency, like HYDRA, to protect public infrastructure, including roads, drains, water bodies, open spaces, and parks, from illegal encroachments.
The court is currently reviewing the PIL, and the hearing has been postponed for three weeks to allow time for the state officials to file their responses.
—
MLA Kova Laxmi Receives High Court Relief in Election Case
On Friday, Kova Laxmi, a BRS MLA from Komuram Bheem Asifabad, received relief from the Telangana High Court in a case challenging her election victory. The case was brought by Ajmeera Shyam, who had contested the election on a Congress ticket and lost to Laxmi. Shyam claimed that Laxmi had hidden important information about her Income Tax (IT) returns from the Election Commission.
Shyam argued that Laxmi did not provide IT returns for the years 2018-19 to 2021-22, which he said was required by law. Instead, Laxmi only submitted her IT returns for 2022-23, declaring an income of Rs. 11.5 lakh. Shyam contended that by not disclosing the full five years of returns, Laxmi had engaged in corrupt practices under Section 123(2) of the Representation of the People’s Act.
However, Justice Kunuru Lakshman, who heard the case, did not accept Shyam’s argument and dismissed the petition. As a result, Kova Laxmi remains the elected MLA for Komuram Bheem Asifabad.
