JOIN USJudge suspended in Telangana on graft charges
A senior judge lost his job within 30 minutes of assuming office as a judge of the special court dealing with SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act in Mahbubnagar, Telangana, on Wednesday.
Judge Kolla Ranga Rao, who was working as an additional judge in Vikarabad district court, was transferred as judge of the special court two days ago.
Within half-an-hour, he received orders from the high court stating that he was suspended on charges of corruption. A fax copy of the resignation order was handed over to him by the local court in Mahbubnagar. Judge Rao then stepped down without hearing a single case.
He was suspended following an inquiry conducted by the high court acting on a petition submitted by a 36-member delegation of advocates belonging to Vikarabad Bar Association (VBA) on April 13.
Sources in the VBA point out that there have been several allegations of corruption and favouritism against the judge. It is alleged that the judge would sit on a case for months defying the stipulated time frame. The complainants also mentioned his political leanings and his alleged stay at the house of a local politician.
Incidentally, Judge Rao is the fourth judge to be suspended in Telangana on charges of corruption in the last one month.
On Tuesday, the high court suspended metropolitan sessions court judge in Hyderabad, S Radhakrishna Murthy, on allegations of taking a bribe of Rs 7.5 lakh to grant bail to an accused in a narcotics case. He was later arrested.
On March 18, the high court suspended judge M Gandhi, of a local labour court, following ACB raids. He was later arrested.
On April 6, the high court suspended junior civil judge S Madhu in Jagitial district following complaints of taking bribes to deliver biased verdicts. Madhu was also arrested.