Telangana Government Granted Four Weeks to Respond to Writ on Grama Panchayats
The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to respond within four weeks to writ petitions challenging Ordinance No. 3 of 2024, which merges 51 gram panchayats into municipalities. A bench led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe heard petitions from G. Padmavathi and four other former sarpanches from Shamshabad mandal, who argue that the ordinance undermines rural communities and misrepresents the government’s urbanization efforts.
The affected villages, including Chinna Golkonda and Bahadurguda, maintain a rural character, and the petitioners assert that the merger will disrupt their environment. The court has adjourned the case for four weeks to allow for counter affidavits from state authorities.
PIL Challenges Police Operations
In a separate matter, the Telangana High Court issued notices to state officials regarding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that questions the legality of police operations "Mission Chabutra" and "Operation Romeo." Filed by activist SQ Masood, the PIL claims these operations lack legal basis and violate constitutional rights, including Articles 14 and 21.
Masood criticized police-enforced business restrictions, including forced closures of shops and unjustified searches, asserting these actions contradict existing government orders. The court has not granted interim relief but has requested responses from the authorities.