High Court Briefs June 29 2011

A division bench of the AP High Court will now consider the legality of the powers of the state government to enhance the licence fee for Indian Foreign Liquor. J Kamalakar Reddy, a retail licencee from Janagam filed the writ petition complaining that the enhancement of licence fee was illegal. He pointed out that where the population was below 50,000 the licence fee was Rs. 25 lakh which is now enhanced to Rs. 30 lakhs.

The VIII Chapter of the Sri Krishna Report will come up yet again for judicial consideration. Former MP Narayana Reddy who filed an earlier writ petition for making the VIII Chapter public moved the High Court in a fresh writ petition. He claimed that in an earlier round when a single judge had summoned the report, the chapter was stated to contain 28 pages. It may be recalled that the Sri Krishna Commission had advised secrecy of the said chapter. A single judge had faulted the content and had directed that it be made public. However the order of the single judge was suspended by a division bench. In his present writ petition the petitioner referred to a recent publication publishing the VIII Chapter in detail. The said report also stated that the VIII Chapter comprised 74 pages. The former MP argued in his writ petition, which is yet to be scrutinized by the Registry, that the public at large were entitled to know the truth and the entire content of the said chapter of the SKC Report.

Justice K C Bhanu of the AP High Court failed on Wednesday to bring peace between the cine actress Jamuna’s daughter and her spouse. Ms. Shravani and Rahul it may be recalled are engaged in a matrimonial battle including custody of their minor son. The judge had summoned both parties to counsel them. As the effort failed, the judge directed the matter to be listed on July 12.