Kurnool: Various authorized and regulatory our bodies in Kurnool — together with the Lokayukta, AP Human Rights Commission (APHRC) and AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) — are functioning with out heads for a number of months. Likewise is the case of Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) not simply in Kurnool district however throughout the state.
APSHRC, initially headquartered in Hyderabad, had shifted to Kurnool after the earlier YSRC authorities designated the town because the judicial capital. In 2021, after a delay of two years, the federal government appointed the chairperson, a judicial member, and a non-judicial member. However, their phrases led to March 2024. Although the state authorities issued a notification for brand spanking new appointments in December 2024, the choice course of has not but been accomplished.
The fee has remained ineffective in addressing human rights points, whether or not of harassment, police excesses or different human rights violations.
Despite having no operational tasks, staff of the APHRC are persevering with to attract salaries and reportedly having fun with a five-day workweek, although no such route has been issued by the federal government. This is drawing criticism from different authorities wings.
Interestingly, in the course of the YSRC regime, TD senior chief Varla Ramaiah had publicly criticised the dearth of sufficient workers for the previous APHRC chairperson. He had assured that the fee can be strengthened as soon as TDP involves energy. But no steps seem to have been taken up to now.
Likewise, the Lokayukta, which offers with public complaints associated to corruption and misconduct in authorities our bodies, has remained headless after the retirement of Justice P. Lakshmana Reddy on September 14, 2024. Since then, Upa Lokayukta P. Rajani has been dealing with the tasks in an interim capability.
Though she comes from a authorized background and is taking on instances, critics keep that key establishments shouldn’t be run by in-charges for extended durations.
Similarly, the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission has been working and not using a chairman because the time period of Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy ended within the final quarter of 2024. A fee member is presently serving because the in-charge chairman, managing the operations of this significant regulatory physique.
An advocate, on the situation of anonymity, noticed: “The purpose is straightforward. Former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy introduced Kurnool because the judicial capital. The coalition authorities is just not prepared to just accept that call and is diluting its spirit. Their preliminary plan had been to shift these workplaces to Amaravati. But on account of resistance from locals, together with minister T.G. Bharath, the choice has been postponed. These essential workplaces are intentionally being saved headless,” the advocate charged.
However, Telugu Desam leaders keep that regardless of efforts by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Education minister Lokesh, opposition-backed courtroom instances are delaying the appointment course of.
Significantly, Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) throughout all districts, answerable for dealing with kids’s points, have seen no new appointments. The earlier committees, appointed in 2021, accomplished their three-year time period in November 2024. Critics level out that the federal government has issued a number of notifications solely to cancel them repeatedly, even after conducting interviews.
