Hyderabad: The state govt on Tuesday informed the Telangana high court that as of Dec 2023, there were 121 tenured prosecuting officers, including 97 additional public prosecutors (PPs), of whom 34 had been terminated and relieved from service. The submissions were made before Justice NV Shravan Kumar during the hearing of petitions challenging the termination of additional PPs, allegedly without due procedure or prior notice. After hearing arguments, the judge reserved the matter for orders. The govt further said that out of the terminated additional PPs, 18 had approached the high court, while six petitions were already disposed of as infructuous. Referring to a letter from the director of prosecutions, which the court had sought on Monday, the state clarified that the letter contained recommendations for termination based on complaints and a subsequent inquiry that found lapses on the part of certain officers. On the other hand, counsels for the petitioners argued that the alleged model code of conduct violations do not apply to law officers. They contended that the state acted against the petitioners without giving them an opportunity to defend themselves. The counsels also highlighted that several petitioners had received letters of appreciation from district courts and even from the director general of police’s office for securing convictions in serious cases. “In one instance, a petitioner was felicitated by the DGP for his services after receiving appreciation from a district judge. Yet, within days, the same officer was terminated. One day he was honoured for his performance, and the next, he was deemed unfit for service,” the counsel submitted.
