Single judge to decide on govt staff participating in public hearing

​Hyderabad: Can a public sector employee participate in public hearings of Electricity Regulatory Commission and give his opinions that may be unpalatable to the government? This question needs to be decided expeditiously by the single judge after hearing the matter afresh, ruled the division bench of the High Court at Hyderabad on Wednesday. It also stressed the need to give reasoned orders in matters pertaining to public interest.

The bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice T Sunil Chowdary gave this order after hearing a writ appeal filed by TS Transco’s Warangal Superintendent K Raghu against the order of single judge who declined to give any interim direction to the authorities to enable him to participate in the hearing of Regulatory Commission.

Raghu had filed writ questioning the TSERC advisory on February 9 to State power utilities -Transco and Discoms -asking them not to allow their employees to participate in its public hearings without prior approval from the higher authorities.

B Rachna Reddy, counsel for the petitioner, told the bench that this case pertained to the right of the citizens to voice their opinion in such public hearings. The single judge had sought a reply from Telangana State government, the Electricity Regulatory Commission and Transco on the issue in April this year but no counter was filed so far, she said.

Also the lack of interim direction by the single judge denied the petitioner his right, both as a stakeholder and as a consumer, to participate though several public hearings were held, she said. After hearing her arguments, the bench then sent the matter back to the single judge for conducting a fresh hearing and pass a detailed order with reasons expeditiously.