Telangana HC lifts the workers of SERP’s suspension
The Siddipet district election officer started the suspension proceedings against one Srinivas and three others on April 8 on the grounds that they attended a BRS election meeting. On Friday, Justice Pulla Karthik of the Telangana High Court stopped the proceedings.
The four were suspended after the assistant returning officer and RDO, Siddipet, received a report alleging that the BRS had held unauthorized meetings and distributed money at a function hall in the town, in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The petitioners said that as they were not employed by the government and were not subject to the 1964 Conduct Rules of Civil Servants, the district election officer had no jurisdiction over the suspension orders.
They made it clear that they worked for the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and District Rural Development Agencies, and that because they weren’t given any formal responsibilities pertaining to the Lok Sabha elections, they didn’t break any SERP rules.
Justice Reddy paused the suspension proceedings and sent letters to the relevant authorities after taking the petitioners’ arguments into consideration.
