Telangana High Court Hears Phone-Tapping Case
On Monday, Justice Juvvadi Sridevi of the Telangana High Court adjourned a criminal petition filed by Aruvela Shravan Kumar Rao, who is accused in a phone-tapping case. Rao is the Managing Director of I-News and is seeking bail in Crime No. 243/2024 from Panjagutta Police Station. He is facing charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Information Technology (IT) Act.
The court directed the Telangana public prosecutor to gather instructions and file a counter-affidavit before the next hearing, which has been scheduled for November 7.
A non-bailable warrant issued by the XIV Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate is still pending against Rao. In his plea, Rao denied allegations that he monitored political leaders from other parties and shared information with the Special Investigation Bureau (SIB), claiming the SIB team are the real culprits. He also denied accusations that he was involved in persuading leaders from opposing parties to join the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
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Right to Education Act to be Enforced by 2025-26
In another case, the Telangana High Court was informed that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, will be fully implemented in private schools across the state by the 2025-26 academic session.
A division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao, recorded the submission made by Assistant Government Pleader Madhuri. The government will ensure the implementation of Section 121 C of the Act by the second week of April 2025.
This announcement came during a hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Thandava Yogesh from Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. Yogesh had expressed concern over the government’s delay in enforcing the section, which requires private schools to reserve 25% of admissions in Class I and pre-school for economically weaker sections (EWS) and disadvantaged groups.
Section 121 C mandates that private schools must allocate at least 25% of admissions to children from these marginalized groups, ensuring they receive equal access to education.
