Follow procedures before widening national roads: Telangana HC

HYDERABAD: Justice T. Vinod Kumar of the Telangana High Court stressed the need for the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to follow due process before proceeding with widening National Highway 65 from Hyderabad from the existing 30 feet to 200 feet. The judge was dealing with a writ petition filed by Gangula Sudershini and two others who alleged that the NHAI was continuing with road widening on the highway without acquiring the land of the petitioners, who are owners and pattadar book holders of land situated at Muthangi, Patancheru mandal in Sangareddy district. The petitioners requested the NHAI to direct the acquisition of the petitioners’ land following due process of law before commencing the widening process on NH 65. The counsel for the respondent authorities submitted that the roads and buildings department has authority over the said highway and therefore the petitioners should approach in this regard case to the concerned authority. Accordingly, the judge ordered the petitioner to approach the competent authority before the next hearing date and remanded the case for retrial.

HC makes fun of the director of the St. group. Mary for ignoring court orders

Justice Surepalli Nanda of the Telangana High Court slammed the principal of St Mary’s group of institutions in Hyderabad for failing to comply with the court’s orders. The judge was hearing a contempt complaint filed by St Mary’s Group of Institutions student, M. Pradeep, alleging failure to return original educational certificates required to pursue his bachelor’s degree studies. Previously, the judge ordered the university’s director to consider the student’s representation requesting access to the original documents in November 2023 within a week from the date of receipt of a copy of the decision, which was issued in March 2024. The student appealed to the court alleging the defendant’s failure to comply with the judge’s decision. On the contrary, the representative acting on behalf of the institution argued that the institution had specified a procedure for obtaining original documents, which the petitioner had not followed. Moreover, the judge was informed that the declaration had not been submitted to the competent authority. The judge asked whether the same information had been provided to the student petitioner. Since this was not communicated to the student, observing the consequences of this delay for the petitioner’s educational cycle, the judge expressed great dissatisfaction with the conduct of the respondent institution. The judge noted that instead of raising such allegations at this point, the institution should have instructed the student on the procedure that should have been followed to obtain the original documents. The judge ordered the director of the facility to comply with the judge’s earlier order within two weeks, under pain of having to appear in court.

The police ordered that the cell tower structure be protected

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court directed the state government and the DGP to extend protection on the request of a company engaged in designing cell phone masts. The judge was hearing a lawsuit filed by Indus Towers Limited, one of the world’s largest companies producing telecommunications towers. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that despite submitting applications to the police, the petitioner was not provided with police protection during the installation of mobile phone masts at 29 locations. The counsel also pointed to a memorandum issued by the state directing all superintendents and commissioners of police in the state to extend protection to companies like the petitioner company as erection of cell phone towers is in the public interest. After hearing from the petitioner’s lawyer, the judge emphasized the importance of the towers in the public domain and the fact that the software industry is a zero-emission industry. The judge ordered the state authorities to extend police protection and support the petitioner during the construction of the towers once such an application is made.