HC slams Telangana govt's 'secessionist' laws

The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad has reprimanded the Telangana government over issues surrounding the nativity of the students for fee waiver scheme and re-registration of the vehicles purchased in the erstwhile united state.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar termed “secessionist” the proposed move of the government to limit the financial assistance to students of Telangana (FAST)nly to those students whose parents were born on or before November 1, 1956. The bench was dealing with petitions by former ministers of the combined state Dokka Manikya Varaprasada Rao and Pitani Satyanarayana.

The petitioners said the cut-off date of the scheme was against the Presidential Order which governs education and state employment at least for 10 years of period before the AP government shifts its base to its own capital.

The bench said that “Telangana is part of India” and asked the government to file an affidavit within six weeks to support its argument in favour of the controversial cut-off date. It asked the government not to finalise any modalities for implementation of the scheme and to place the guidelines before the court.

Chief Justice Sengupta asked the rationale behind fixing 1956 as the cut-off date for fee waiver. Refusing to accept the Telangana government’s argument that it was under severe financial constraint, Justice Sengupta said: “If you have no funds, scrap the whole fee waiver scheme. You can’t be selective by implementing an unconstitutional decision.” 

“This government order will result in a secessionist and an anti-integrationist act. We have to protect the unity of the country,” the court said, refusing to pass an interim order.

Telangana Advocate General K Ramakrishna Reddy said the GO was aimed at setting up a committee to draw modalities for assistance under FAST but no final decision has been taken in this regard.  

Responding to the High Court’s observations, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu said he has already offered to share 50 per cent of the fee waiver bill of AP students studying in common capital or Telangana. I urged the Telangana government not to vitiate the atmosphere and not to damage the brand image of Hyderabad. But they did not listen,” he said.

In another set back to the Telangana government, the High Court stayed an order for re-registration of all vehicles purchased and registered under the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. 

Responding to a PIL filed by a bike owner here, the same bench passed an interim order and said it would not allow misuse of power by the government in a “whimsical” manner.