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The Telangana High Court Tuesday directed the state government to investigate allegations of mismanagement and illegalities against the Hyderabad Public School (HPS) Society, which governs HPS branches in Begumpet and Ramanthapur in Hyderabad.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin clarified that the representation submitted by the petitioner should be examined by the principal secretary of the Telangana Education Department within three months.
The bench was dealing with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by Durgam Ravinder, who alleged mismanagement of funds and non-implementation of SC/ST and BC reservation in admissions and recruitment of employees, among other things.
The petitioner had raised several allegations, including financial mismanagement, irregular contractual appointments without proper qualifications, outsourcing the school’s kitchen and dining hall services to relatives of society members without tendering, non-implementation of reservation policies, and the closure of the Scheduled Caste (SC) hostel.
The petitioner also claimed that buildings were constructed without the necessary prior permissions from the government and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and levelled allegations of encroachment on school land.
The petitioner’s counsel, Kalyani P K, referred extensively to a batch of petitions and a 1998 judgment that had earlier established the school’s “state-created entity” status. The counsel criticised the HPS Society’s attempts to assert private control and alter the bylaws, circumventing government oversight.
Acknowledging that the petitioner had already submitted a representation to the principal secretary, who also serves as the ex officio chairman of the Board of Governors, the Telangana High Court first delegated the matter for a detailed departmental inquiry.
The bench directed the education secretary to examine the representation in accordance with the law. The court also clarified that if the secretary finds evidence of encroachment, the matter should be brought to the notice of GHMC.
The court noted that the current issues involve factual allegations that should be investigated by the competent authority. The bench also ensured that if any adverse action is contemplated as a result of the inquiry, the affected parties, including the HPS Society, must be given a fair hearing.
The PIL is rooted in a long-standing contention that HPS Society is essentially a government institution despite being run by a society. The counsel for the society contested this during the proceedings, stating the government itself had previously filed a counter-affidavit declaring it is not a state institution.
The court, however, refrained from making any observations on the school’s exact status under the relevant Education Act at this stage, focusing instead on ensuring the allegations of mismanagement are thoroughly investigated.
