Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has issued contempt notices to five senior IAS and IPS officers in connection with an alleged delay in submitting a detailed enquiry report on alleged illegal constructions in and around Salkam Cheruvu in Hyderabad.
Justice NV Shravan Kumar passed the order while hearing a contempt petition filed by advocate and party-in-person Vijay Gopal.
Court Had Earlier Directed Detailed Enquiry
The contempt proceedings relate to an earlier High Court direction dated April 30, under which senior officials were required to conduct a detailed enquiry into the allegations and submit a comprehensive report before the Court.
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According to the petition, the report was not submitted by the next date of hearing, following which the petitioner approached the High Court alleging wilful disobedience of the earlier order.
The contempt petition was filed under Sections 10 to 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
Five Senior Officers Named in Contempt Petition
The officers named in the petition include:
- Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department
- AV Ranganath, Chairman, HMDA Lake Protection Committee
- Dr Yogita Rana, Principal Secretary, School Education Department
- E. Sridhar, Principal Secretary, Irrigation and Command Area Development Department
- Lokesh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department
The Court has issued notices to the respondents and adjourned the matter for further hearing to August 11.
What Is the Salkam Cheruvu Case About?
The original writ petition raised allegations concerning constructions within the Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zone of Salkam Cheruvu.
The petitioner sought action concerning the alleged constructions and requested measures including demolition of structures claimed to be within the lake’s FTL and buffer zone.
The petition also sought prosecution of alleged encroachers under applicable municipal and building laws, recovery of demolition costs from violators and steps to prevent further encroachments.
Earlier Direction on Officials’ Conduct
The High Court had directed the Principal Secretaries of the Revenue, Irrigation, Municipal Administration and School Education Departments to conduct an enquiry into officials who allegedly failed to act against the construction of an educational institution in the Salkam Cheruvu lake area.
The officials were directed to place a detailed report before the Court by the next date of hearing.
The present contempt proceedings concern the alleged non-compliance with that direction. The allegations regarding illegal construction remain matters before the Court.
Matter Listed for August 11
After hearing the contempt petition, the High Court ordered notices to the respondents and listed the matter for further hearing on August 11.
The proceedings will now consider the responses of the officers named in the contempt petition and the issue concerning submission of the enquiry report.
