Cabinet-rank for advisors: High Court issues notice to TS Government

HYDERABAD FEB 15 : A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday admitted a PIL challenging the action of the Telangana government to accord Cabinet rank status to persons who were appointed in various capacities and who are not part and parcel of the council of ministers of state i.e. the advisors, special representatives of the government and chairmen of various government corporations.

The bench of Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Shameem Akhter, while admitting the PIL filed by Telangana TDP leader A Revanth Reddy, issued notices to all the respondents.On Tuesday, Advocate General K Ramkrishna Reddy submitted that there was no specific procedure or rule for conferment of Cabinet ranks and that the government accorded the rank to honour the persons holding the posts.

Revanth Reddy, in his plea, questioned the action of the government in conferring the Cabinet rank status to Advisors to the state government R Vidyasagar Rao, G Vivekananda, AK Goel, A Ramalakshman, BV Papa Rao, KV Ramanachary, GR Reddy, special representatives to the state at New Delhi S Venugopalachary, Ramachandrudu Tejavath, KM Sahni, chairman of Telangana Tourism Corporation Limited Pervaram Ramulu, chairman of Telangana SC co-operative development corporation limited Pidamarthi Ravi, chairman of state road transport corporation Somarapu Satyanarayana, vice-chairman of Telangana State Planning Board Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, chairman of Telangana Samskruthika Sarathi Erpula Balakishan, chief whip to the government Koppula Eshwar and vice-chairman of Telangana drinking water supply corporation limited V Prashanth Reddy.