Hyderabad: In an ongoing case, Justice M Sudheer Kumar of the Telangana High Court has extended the deadline for the appointment of a permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Waqf Board.
The court has now set November 28 as the next hearing date, providing the government with a six-week period to make the appointment.
This decision comes after a writ petition was filed by a concerned citizen on October 5. At the previous hearing, held on October 11, the government was instructed to clarify its position.
During the proceedings, the Public Prosecutor and Standing Counsel of the Waqf Board informed the court that an acting CEO had been appointed due to the unavailability of qualified officials willing to serve in the Waqf Board.
The petitioner has challenged a Government Order (GO) issued in January regarding the appointment of an acting CEO, asserting that under Section 23 of the Waqf Act, 1995, a permanent CEO should be appointed with the rank of Deputy Secretary. The current acting CEO does not hold the requisite rank.
In light of the government’s explanation and the petitioner’s counsel’s arguments, Justice Sudheer Kumar has directed the appointment of a permanent CEO within the next six weeks.
The case will be kept open without disposal. The petitioner’s counsel has pointed out that if the government fails to adhere to the court’s orders, they can take contempt of court action.
Justice Sudheer Kumar has given the government time to present their case and has scheduled the next hearing for November 28, taking into account the ongoing model code of conduct.
In the previous hearing, Justice Sudhir Kumar expressed dissatisfaction with the failure to implement the orders.
