HC asks Registry to allot number to PIL plea questioning Cabinet Minster status to 14 politicians

The Telangana High Court on Thursday directed the Registry to allot number to a PIL petition questioning the GOs conferring Cabinet Minister status to some MLAs and politicians.

A Bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin also instructed the Registry to tag the plea filed by BRS leader Erolla Srinivas, along with the PIL petition filed by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, with near similar contentions in 2017. Revanth Reddy was an MLA from Telugu Desam Party then.

Both the PIL pleas are likely to come up for hearing soon.

The Registry raised objections over the PIL plea filed by Erolla Srinivas who sought a direction to suspend the GOs issued by the Congress government conferring Cabinet Minister status on 14 persons _ K. Keshava Rao, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, P. Sudarshan Reddy, K. Prem Sagar Rao, G. Chinna Reddy, Vem Narender Reddy, Mohd. Ali Shabbir, Harkara Venugopal Rao, Aditya Nath Das, A.P. Jithender Reddy, Mallu Ravi, K. Srinivas Raju, Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara and K. Penta Reddy.

Senior counsel Gandra Mohan Rao, appearing for the petitioner, informed the bench that the State government’s decision according cabinet minister status on such large number of people was likely to result in massive expenditure without any benefit to the general public. “Interestingly, the CM Revanth Reddy while being an opposition party MLA in 2017 filed a PIL petition questioning the decision of the then BRS government providing cabinet minister status to some individuals,” said the senior counsel.

The matter was pending for adjudication and became infructuous as the term of the then BRS government came to an end. Leaders challenge decisions of the government and take same decisions upon coming to power, the advocate said.

He contended that the present Congress government decision was in violation of Article 164 (1A) of the Constitution. Conferring cabinet rank to 14 MLAs and politicians in addition to the already existing 16 Cabinet Ministers was violation of that Article, he argued.