The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Court frees detained tribal people

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Thursday, Jun 23, 2011
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Court frees detained tribal people

Legal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: A Division Bench of the A.P. High Court comprising Justice A.Gopala Reddy and Justice Raja Elango on Wednesday set free two tribal people of Khammam district after quashing the orders of preventive detention passed by the government.

The Bench was allowing two writ petitions filed by the spouses of Bhukya Veera Bhadram and Ramlal alleging that they had been in jail since December 2010. The government contended that Bhadram and Ramlal resorted to land grabbing and forest offences. The petitioners argued that the two were tribal people and had campaigned for the forest rights of tribal people and had been falsely implicated. The Bench found that the material to substantiate the preventive detention regarding land grabbing, forest offences was not forthcoming and set the two free.

Upheld

A Division Bench comprising Justice V.V.S. Rao and Justice Ramesh Rangnathan on Wednesday upheld the power of the State government to impose tax on motor vehicles when they were brought into the State to be used here.

The Bench was upholding the constitutional validity of section 3 of Entries of Motor Vehicles into Local Areas Act which permitted imposition of tax on motor vehicles on entry for use in the State. Thirty seven petitions were adjudicated by the Bench.

Kesoram Cements and others filed the writ petitions contending that such tax was unconstitutional. The Bench did not agree with this contention. The Bench, however, left open the question whether bulldozers, tippers, and earth movers etc., can be called a motor vehicle like a car or a bus. The Bench said it would be decided by the assessing officer who would take the assistance of the officers from the Transport Department and pass fresh assessment orders.

Exploration licences

Justice G. Rohini granted two weeks time to authorities in a writ petition filed regarding the awarding of exploration licences of 62 mineral bearing blocks located in the Bay of Bengal.

The writ petition was filed by M/s Trimex Sands. The petitioner contended that the Indian Bureau of Mines and the Central government had violated the rules and granted licences. It was averred that due publicity was not given. It was argued that the beneficiaries were not qualified. The judge made it clear that if grant was made now it would be subject to further orders.

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Andhra Pradesh