Telangana’s Appeal: Balancing Concerns Amidst Baseless Apprehensions
Hyderabad: In a significant ruling, the division bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Justice J Anil Kumar, has upheld the decision to reconduct the Group I examination. The court’s decision comes after confirming the single judge’s order, which had initially directed the reconducting of the examination.
The State had filed an appeal against the order, arguing that the baseless apprehensions of a few petitioners should not disadvantage the aspirations of lakhs of candidates. The State contended that the absence of biometrics did not establish any chance of impersonation or malpractices, pointing out that the OMR sheets had barcodes to ensure proper verification of candidates’ credentials.
However, after hearing arguments from both sides, the court concluded that the process and procedure prescribed in the notification and web note must be adhered to without violation. Consequently, the bench dismissed the appeal filed by the State government.
Illegal Detention by NIA
Another notable decision came from the division bench consisting of Justice K Lakshman and Justice K Sujana, which declared the detention of Dubashi Devender by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as illegal. The court emphasized that the NIA, as a premier investigation agency, must follow legal procedures.
The petitioner had claimed that her husband was unlawfully detained by the NIA while he was attending examinations at a government college in Siddipet. She expressed concerns about his safety and the well-being of their six-month-old child.
The NIA, represented by Deputy Solicitor General of India Gadi Praveen Kumar, asserted that the detenue was taken into custody legally for his involvement in a 2019 case related to the banned CPI (Maoist) Party. However, the court noted several discrepancies and lacunas in the arrest procedure, including the failure to inform the family, provide proof of serving a notice, and explain the two-year delay in arresting the detenue after registering the crime.
As a result, the bench ruled the detention illegal and ordered his release. The NIA was granted the liberty to conduct the investigation strictly in accordance with the law while disposing of the case.
