In a major victory for the State government, a two judge PIL panel of the Telangana High Court on Monday upheld the direction of the government to proceed with the construction of a new Secretariat by demolishing the existing structures.
The panel comprising Chief Justice Raghvender Singh Chauhan and Justice Abhishek Reddy rejected multiple pleas in a bunch of writ pleas filed by Congress MLC Jeevan Reddy, Retd. Prof. P.L Vishweshwvara Rao and others. The petitioners unsuccessfully contended before the court that there was enough and more space in the existing building that had earlier housed the secretariat of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
After the requirements were drastically reduced to half, there could be no reason for a new Secretariat, the petitioners argued. The decision making process was also challenged as being arbitrary and without proper material. This also did not find judicial approval. It was also contended that such huge expenditures were ill-suited for a growing State and failed in comparison to other priority requirements. This plea also did not muster judicial scrutiny.
It may be recalled that the government not only justified the decision making process and the need for a new secretariat but also pointed out to the life of many of the structures and for an ultra modern technology supported building in its place. Senior Counsel Satyam Reddy requested the court to keep the judgment in abeyance to enable the petitioner file an appeal in the Apex Court. The panel rejected his plea.
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