JUSTICE RAO IS TS HC ACTING CJ
Offers to give evidence if state initiates action
Hyderabad: President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday appointed Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao, the seniormost judge in the TS High Court, as the Acting Chief Justice.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Revanth Reddy asked why Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was not initiating action against labour minister Malla Reddy for his alleged land grab activities. The Chief Minister had removed deputy chief minister T. Rajaiah and health minister Etala Rajendar citing similar irregularities. Why not remove Malla Reddy from the Cabinet, he asked on Friday.
“Do rules and justice apply differently to different individuals,” the Congress leader asked as he spoke to the media at Gandhi Bhavan here.
The Congress leader said he has evidence of land grabbing by minister Malla Reddy. “I will submit all details through media or government agencies if the government is ready to initiate action against the minister,'' he said.
Malla Reddy has declared that he is possessing around 600 acres of land. Why not take action against him under the land ceiling norms, Revanth Reddy asked. He said that in Gundla Pochampally municipal limits, the old records of survey number
650 showed a land size of 22 acres and 20 guntas. Now, it has increased to 33 acres and 22 guntas. In this, the minister’s brother-inlaw Srinivas Reddy possessed 16 acres and he gifted it to an educational society owned by the minister, he explained.
He added: “By submitting these land details, Malla Reddy got a private university established there. How can the extent of a plot of land increase at different times? The secret behind this should be explained to the people of Telangana,” he said. Revanth Reddy said that in Jawaharnagar, minister Malla Reddy has constructed
a private hospital on five acres of government land and produced forged documents to get the sanction. “The National Assessment and Accreditation Committee (NAAC) has banned Malla Reddy’s educational institutions, citing irregularities,” he said. If the state government is fair in its dealings, it should verify the land and construction details submitted by the minister to the NAAC and check what taxes are being paid by him to the municipality, the Congress chief said.
Reacting to a poll challenge hurled at him by the minister, Revanth Reddy said he had won
against Malla Reddy’s son in-law Marri Rajasekhar Reddy in Lok Sabha poll, and there is no meaning in resigning the seat and contesting against the minister. “If KCR resigns from Gajwel constituency, I am ready to face him there in a reelection,” Revanth Reddy said.
He said the Congress was ready for midterm elections if such a scenario arose any time. The TS Congress president said the Chief Minister and his son K.T. Rama Rao achieved their present positions after serving TD president Chandrababu Naidu in the past.