Hyderabad HC suspends two lower court judges following stir

The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad today suspended two judges on disciplinary grounds following an agitation against provisional allocation of judicial officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Over 100 judges under the banner of Telangana Judges Association yesterday took out a procession here in protest against the provisional allocation. The court today suspended Telangana Judges Association president K Ravinder Reddy, who is the 4th additional metropolitan sessions judge, and its secretary V Vara Prasad, a special sessions judge of Rangareddy district. All India Judicial Employees Association's general secretary B Lakshma Reddy said non-bifurcation of the High Court (after the creation of Telangana) was the root cause of the problem. "We have already issued a strike notice on various issues from July 1," Reddy told PTI. A member of Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee said they may boycott the court duties at Court No 1 -- court of the Acting Chief Justice -- to protest the suspension. Some 125 judicial officers of Telangana yesterday gave their resignations to the Telangana Judges Association President, authorising him to hand them to the Governor (not immediately) as and when he felt right if the demands are not met. Advocates and judicial employees across Telangana launched an agitation on June 6 protesting the provisional allocation of judicial officers between AP and Telangana. They are opposing allocation of judicial officers hailing from (post-bifurcation) Andhra Pradesh to Telangana courts. Telangana Advocates JAC co-convener T Sriranga Rao had said yesterday that the allocation was done by the High Court without taking into consideration the guidelines framed by the HC itself in February this year. "We have been seeking preparation of a fresh list of allocation between the two states as per the native district declared by the judicial officers at the time of entry into service," Rao said.