The row over the delay in bifurcation of Hyderabad High Court and the appointment of Andhra judges in Telangana was threatening to escalate further, leading to a face-off between the Telangana Government and the Centre as the HC has suspended three lower court judges more for violation of code of conduct governing judges.
With this, the number of lower court judges suspended for participating in the agitation has gone up to five. Registrar (Vigilance) of the Hyderabad HC issued the orders on Tuesday suspending lower court judges Radhakrishna Chouhan, Ramakant and Tirupati.
While Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is so incensed over the dilly-dallying by the Centre that he has decided to stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi along with his Ministers, MPs and MlAs, the Telangana High Court Advocates’ Association has demanded the recall of Acting Chief Justice of the HC Dilip Bhosle.
Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said, “The Chief Minister strongly feels that grave injustice was done to Telangana on issues ranging from the delay in bifurcation of the High Court to the appointment of judges.”
At a meeting with his Ministers and leaders, KCR expressed frustration that despite repeated representations, the Center had deliberately adopted an indifferent attitude and neglected Telangana’s demand for a separate HC.
Sources said KCR was in favor of making Delhi the center of the agitation to force the Central Government to change its attitude and ensure justice to judicial officers and people of the State.
Meanwhile, KCR’s daughter and TRS MP K Kavitha told the media in Hyderabad that the Chief Minister was very disheartened by the insensitivity of the Center and confirmed that he was contemplating staging a protest in Delhi.
Pointing out that if KCR protests at Jantar Mantar it will become an international issue, Kavita urged the Prime Minister to intervene and solve the matter. “We propose to go ahead and express our protest in Delhi. But we do not want things to escalate to that level. We once again sincerely appeal to the Prime Minister to intervene at this juncture and bifurcate the High Court,” she said.
In a reflection of the emotions sparked off by the HC’s action, a Telangana advocate tried to immolate himself before the Hyderabad City Civil Court and suffered burn injuries. However, doctors said he was out of danger.
As lower court judges and other judicial officers were up in arms against majority of the posts of subordinate judges in the State going to the judges of Andhra origin, the TRS Government was also forced to break its silence on the issue.
Ever since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in June 2014, the Hyderabad HC was functioning as the common HC for both the Telugu States.
Advocates and judicial officers of Telangana were demanding that the allocation of subordinate judicial officers of AP and Telangana should be kept in abeyance till the HC was bifurcated. But ignoring their demands, the Hyderabad HC issued the list of provisional allocations earlier this month sparking off a State-wide agitation.
After almost a fortnight-long protest, all Telangana judges resigned from their posts en-mass and handed their resignation letters to the president of the Telangana Judges Association on Sunday.
The HC has expressed its ire over the move and termed it a violation of the code of conduct governing the judges.
Angered over the suspension of their colleagues, Telangana judges went on mass leave on Tuesday. At a meeting of the executive committee of the Judges Association on Tuesday a resolution was passed condemning the suspensions and future course of action was discussed.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Telangana judges led by Union Minister of State Bandaru Dattatreya met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for law K Sadananda Gowda and sought their intervention to urgently solve the burning issue.
Singh assured the delegation that he would talk to the Chief Ministers of both the States and solve the problem. Gowda expressed surprise over KCR criticizing the Center on the issue of bifurcation of the Hyderabad HC.
He said he cannot comment on the bifurcation of the HC as the issue was pending before the common HC of the two States. “The Center has no role in it”, he said.
On setting up of the separate HC for Andhra Pradesh he said that it was the responsibility of the concerned State to provide the basic infrastructure for setting up the HC.
Gowda said that he held discussions with the CMs of the two States many times on the bifurcation of the HC.
About the incidents in Hyderabad he said he would write a letter to the Chief Justice of India and the common Governor of the two States.