Hyderabad: Chief Secretary (CS) K. Ramakrishna Rao on Wednesday filed an affidavit before the Telangana High Court stating that the government is preparing a consolidated list of prohibited properties under Section 22-A of the Registration Act. The list will cover government land as well as notified assets of the endowments department and the Waqf Board that cannot be registered.
The affidavit was placed before Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, who, on September 3, had pulled up the Chief Secretary for not filing an action taken report on drawing up a fresh prohibited list and forwarding it to the registration department.
Explaining his absence on September 3, the CS cited severe rain and flood-relief work. The court accepted the explanation, exempted him from personal appearance and took the affidavit on record.
According to the affidavit, a committee has been constituted to address grievances from individuals affected by notifications under Section 22-A(1)(e). The panel will examine records and issue reasoned decisions confirming, deleting or modifying entries in the prohibited list.
District authorities have been directed to furnish updated details across clauses (a) to (e) of Section 22-A. The chief commissioner of land administration (CCLA) will coordinate data from district collectors, the endowments department and the Waqf Board, in prescribed formats. Once the revised lists are finalised, Registering Authorities across the state will be informed.
At the previous hearing, the court expressed displeasure over repeated non-filing of the affidavit and warned that, failing compliance, the CS would have to appear personally. With Wednesday’s filing, the matter will proceed based on responses from the district and registration authorities.
NMC Told to Hear Medical College Plea
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has allowed the Father Colombo Institute of Medical Sciences, Warangal, to appeal before the National Medical Commission (NMC) against the refusal to renew permission for 2025–26. A division bench passed the order while hearing the institute’s appeal against a single judge’s ruling that had upheld the NMC’s action.
The NMC had cited infrastructure deficiencies and a pending CBI FIR dated June 30. The FIR alleges that Fr Joseph Kommareddy, a trustee of the institute, paid bribes of `20 lakh and `46 lakh through intermediaries to one Dr Hari Prasad of Anantapur to influence regulatory approvals.
The institute contended that the NMC acted arbitrarily, issuing its order without notice or a hearing and said the management learnt of the FIR only on July 14, when the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) made a public statement. On July 18, the Under Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) barred the college from admitting MBBS students for 2025–26.
The court held that the mere filing of an FIR cannot, by itself, be a ground to deny permission. It directed the institute to file its appeal within three days and instructed the NMC to pass appropriate orders within ten days of receipt, keeping in view the Supreme Court guidelines and conditional approvals granted to two other Telangana colleges.
HC directs gold firms to aid SBI probe
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed Muthoot Fincorp Ltd and Manappuram Finance Ltd to cooperate with police investigating a multi-crore fraud at State Bank of India’s Chennur branch in Mancherial district. Justice N. V. Shravan Kumar disposed of writ petitions filed by the two companies, permitting them to continue regular operations provided they do not impede the probe.
The case concerns an SBI staffer who allegedly misappropriated Rs.1.1 crore cash from the vaults and stole gold worth `12.61 crore, which he pledged with various finance firms. Police have recovered gold from 175 of the 195 fraudulent loan accounts identified.
While the firms challenged police notices and alleged harassment, the court directed full compliance with investigation requirements. In Manappuram’s case, the court ordered reopening of its Chennur branch on September 10 at 3 pm in the presence of police and company officials, with the process videographed.
