Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of Telangana High Court instructed the State government to file counter affidavit in a PIL petition seeking establishment of drug deaddiction centres in the State as per a government order issued earlier.
The judge, hearing the PIL plea filed six years ago, ordered that the Medical and Health Principal Secretary, Public Health Director and Director of Medical Education appear before the court if they fail to file counter affidavit within three weeks. Lawyer Mamidi Venu Madhav filed the petition in 2016 seeking a direction for enforcement of different government orders and memos over checking the ill-effects of liquor.
When the plea came up for hearing, the petitioner, who is party-in-person, told the bench that the government failed to file counter affidavit in the matter even after six years. Taking a serious view of the government not responding in the PIL plea, the judge wanted the top officials to appear before the court if the counter affidavit was not filed within three weeks.
Mr. Venu Madhav, who wanted the government to completely ban sale of liquor in the State, said that government issued GO Ms no. 358 of 2013 assuring to undertake an intensive campaign to enlighten people about evil effects of liquor consumption. As per this GO, the government was to set up one deaddiction centre in each district of the State.
However, the authorities failed to enforce provisions of the GO, he contended.
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