Telangana High Court on Thursday directed Hyderabad Disaster Management and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) Commissioner A.V. Ranganath to appear before it on December 5 in a contempt of court case relating to Bathukamma Kunta lake at Amberpet here.
Passing the direction, the division bench of Justices Moushumi Bhattacharya and B.R. Madhusudhan Rao cautioned Mr. Ranganath that it would issue a non-bailable warrant if he failed to show up. The bench was hearing a contempt of court case filed by a businessman, A. Sudhakar Reddy, accusing the HYDRAA Commissioner of willfully disobeying the HC order over his claims on Bathukamma Kunta land issued on June 12.
When the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, the bench took serious exception to the absence of Mr.Ranganath in the matter. The Special Government Pleader (SGP) appearing for HYDRAA submitted an interim application seeking exemption from appearance for Thursday and the next dates of hearing.
The bench dismissed the application, expressing concern over the official not turning up before the court despite a Form-I notice being issued on October 30. It also expressed dissatisfaction over the reasons cited for exemption from personal appearance. The SGP submitted to the court that the officer was unable to come personally to the court due to official exigencies and responsibilities to attend to disaster management-related duties.
