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High Court dismisses plea against Hyderabad B-school deal

Justice B Sudershan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh High Court today dismissed in limini, a writ petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh Dalit Mahasabha questioning the validity of the state government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding for starting the Indian School of Business at Manikonda village in Rangareddy district.

The judge said the state government's decision was neither "vitiated or tainted with any collateral purposes" nor was there any "constitutional impropriety".

Rejecting all the allegations like abuse of power, coercion on the part of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the judge said the mere fact that the policy decision to start the school had emanated from the chief minister could not be viewed with suspicion.

In the constitutional scheme, the chief minister plays a pivotal role. All other ministers though hold independent portfolios still continued in the ministry during the pleasure and confidence of the chief minister, the judge added.

It may be recalled that the Dalit Mahasabha had said the MoU signed by the state government reflected a sell-out to big business tycoons at the cost of poor Harijan and Girijan farmers.

The petitioner said the state government conferred undue favours on the ISB, a private company registered under the Companies Act.

Poor farmers were being uprooted to facilitate handing over of about 250 acres of land to the company, the petitioner alleged.

UNI

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