Addressing the TPCC Legal Cell meeting at Gandhi Bhavan, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the party’s Legal, Human Rights and RTI Department would be strengthened further. He asked Legal Department chairman C. Damodar Reddy to complete the nomination of incharges for all 119 Assembly constituencies and form district-wise cells by January 28. He said that the legal cell should help the Congress party workers, in both courts and at police stations, in cases wherein they are being flasely implicated by the police.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Legal Dept should file PILs on issues concerning common man. For instance, he said that the issue of naming of a government scheme after the Chief Minister should be taken to court. “Why should we have a scheme named “KCR Kits”? This could be “CM’s Kit” or something else. KCR is not spending money from his pocket to provide kits to new born babies. Therefore, the scheme should not be named after KCR,” he said. Further, in a lighter vain, he added that people first witnessed the launch of “KCR Kids” and later “KCR Kits” were introduced.
The TPCC chief also advised the Legal Dept to keep guiding the TPCC leaders on how they should proceed on legal issues. He asked whether disqualification could be sought for TRS MLAs who are enjoying office of profit as it happened with AAP MLAs in Delhi. Stating that the Chief Minister breaks the law more often than he follows it, he said that the Telangana was apparently the only State in the country where a defected MLA could join the cabinet and continue on this post without having any legal problem. He said Assembly Speaker S. Madhudusudan Chary did not look into the disqualification petitions filed against the defected legislators. In this scenario, he said that the role of party’s Legal Department increases. He assured that the Congress party, after coming to power in 2019, would recognise the services rendered by advocates and other members of Legal Cell.
Speaking on the occasion, AICC Telangana Incharge Secretary R.C. Khuntia said that the legal department should take an active part in State politics and keep an eye on violation of law and human rights by the TRS Government.
Legal Dept Chairman Damodar Reddy announced that the party would launch a free counselling centre for the party workers and general public on February 28.
Earlier in the day, the Legal Department held a protest demonstration at Mahatma Gandhi statue on the issue of Judge B H Loya’s mysterious death. (NSS)