Hyderabad: A division bench comprising Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice A. Ramalingeswara Rao of the Hyderabad High Court on Monday agreed to list a PIL for hearing on Wednesday challenging the ongoing recruitment process for the posts of junior civil judges. Sarasani Satyam Reddy, senior advocate of the High Court had moved a PIL seeking to direct authorities of the state and Central governments and the High Court to distribute the subordinate judicial officers and other judicial employees to both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and thereafter make recruitments.

He stated that he had moved the PIL in view of the ongoing agitation of TS advocates demanding stalling of the recruitment process till bifurcation of the judiciary. The bench pointed out that it could not take up hearing of a PIL as it is the subject matter of the bench headed by the Chief Justice. The bench directed the Registry to list the matter on Wednesday for hearing. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court listed the petition by the TS government against the civil judges’ recruitment for hearing on Tuesday.

Petition on land pooling rejected:

Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy of the High Court on Monday refused to grant interim relief on a petition challenging the land pooling scheme introduced by AP to acquire land to construct a new capital city.The judge was dealing with a petition by Beemavarapu Krishna Reddy and 31 other farmers of Penumaka village of Tadepalli Mandal in Guntur district seeking to direct the authorities to pass orders as per Rule 7 of AP Capital City Land Pooling Scheme (formulation and implementation) Rules, 2015 by deleting their lands from the scheme.

The petitioners said deletion of their land from the scheme may lead to forcible acquisition and that they would lose their means of livelihood.When this petition came up for hearing, additional advocate general Dammalpati Sriniv-as submitted that there was no immediate threat to the petitioners’ as the last date for submission of objection was extended till February 28. Maintaining that the plea on the land pooling issue was premature and the court to granted 10 days time to file the counter affidavit on the plea.

AP advocates to launch agitation:

AP advocates have decided to chalk out a programme to launch state-wide agitation demanding the constitution of a separate High Court. The advocates have decided to assemble at the HC on Tuesday at 4.40 pm to form a JAC to carry out the movement across the state of AP and at the HC to bring pressure on the Centre and the government to initiate steps for a separate High Court and separate Bar Council.

On one side TS advocates who have been agitating for the separation of the common High Court are coming forward to allow the use of the existing building to until the AP government provides accommodation in AP. However, AP advocates demand that a HC should be constituted in the state immediately. D.V. Prasad Babu one of the leaders of the High Court AP advocates said that there was no point in continuing practice in the separate High Court at Hyderabad till providing the accommodation in AP. “It is unfortunate that the AP government has failed to notice the fact it has been losing a huge revenue generated through the litigations at the High Court.”