Hyderabad, April 22: Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy of the High Court today directed the state government to consider the representation of Kolli Nageswara Rao, a leader of farmers, in the process of fixing the price of Bt cotton seeds.
The Monsanto-owned seed patent on the Bt cotton has been subject to a batch of cases in the High Court, both on the question of trait charges and seed cost. In the present application it was contended that the government was proceeding to fix the price of cotton without hearing the petitioner and the
Notice to govt on failure to enforce helmet rule
A division bench comprising chief justice Nissar Ahmed Kukru and justice PV Sanjay Kumar ordered issuance of notice on a writ petition complaining of failure on the part of the government to implement rules relating to road safety in the state.
Practising advocate V Rama Rao complained that the statutory rules on compulsory wearing of helmets and seat belts were not being enforced. It may be recalled that the High Court had, on another petition earlier, declared wearing of helmets by riders of twowheelers compulsory.
Following a spate of road accidents, a division bench headed by the then chief justice Singhvi issued directions to the police to conduct drives against motorists driving without wearing helemets or seat belts or using cell phones. The government did enforce the direction for sometime but policing in the said areas has since whined away.
Plea against Ponnala by weavers society chief
Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy admitted a writ petition against major irrigation minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah and his alleged interference in the affairs of Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society, Cherial. Its president Mandala Sriramulu complained that the minister had ordered a discrete inquiry into the society’s working out of political vendetta.
The deponent, Mandala Sriramulu, a former TDP member, complained that he had sought Congress ticket which was given to the daughter-in-law of the minister. He said the minister blamed him for the defeat of his daughter-in-law in the Assembly election.
The judge directed the authorities not to make any final orders, pending further orders on the writ petition.
–Agencies