The AP High Court on Tuesday directed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Works and Sewerage Board to pay half of Rs 29 crore, the assessed income tax for 2003-04 fiscal, before it takes up the Board’s plea challenging the demand notice issued by I-T authorities.

Hearing a plea by the HMWS&SB on the attaching its bank account for non-payment of dues by the I-T department, the Division Bench of Justices V. Eswaraiah and K.G. Shankar asked it to pay half the assessed amount in monthly instalments of Rs 2 crore. Justice Eswaraiah said once the Board is ready to pay the amount the court will grant an order by staying recovery of the remaining tax amount and also lift the account attachment.

The court granted int-erim direction after the HMWS&SB agreed to pay 50 per cent of the tax amount.
Contending that it was not a profit-making institution and, in fact, has been making losses, the HMWS&SB told the court that it received funds from the government and was therefore not bound to pay income tax. The HMWS&SB also told the court that its application claiming exemption, as a charitable institution, was pending with the authorities.

Hearing the petition, the Bench headed by Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur summoned the HMWS&SB MD Adhar Sinha to be present in court to explain the reasons for the failure to pay income tax. Mr Sinha urged the court to grant a stay on collection of tax and lift the attachment of the bank account.

No relief for civic body
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar of the High Court on Tuesday refused to hear a writ appeal filed by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority, challenging an order of a single judge directing it to repay Rs 90 crore to Devona Info Ltd. Earlier, the single-judge bench had directed VUDA to return Rs 90 crore to Devona Info as it failed to hand over land to the firm even after payment. VUDA had auctioned 23 acres and though the company, as a successful bidder, paid the entire amount, the civic body failed to give possession of the land within the stipulated time.

TD moves HC on cop’s transfer
Former MLA and TD leader Sobha Hymavathi Devi on Tuesday moved the High Court seeking a direction to declare as illegal the transfer of IPS officer K. Srinivas Reddy from the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Mr Reddy was in charge of the Special Investigation Team, which is probing the liquor scam, before he was transferred recently. Ms Hymavathi Devi told the court that though the ACB had filed 24 cases against the liquor mafia, it was under tremendous pressure from the government to taper down the investigation and drop names of politicians involved. She contended that though Mr Srinivas Reddy was promoted, its timing and transfer was not a coincidence.

Boulder Hills Plea Withdrawn
The Boulder Hills Villa Owners Association on Tuesday withdrew its application before Justice L. Narasimha Reddy of the AP High Court seeking a modification of an earlier order, directing them to deposit Rs 15,000 per sq. yd. to the APIIC before their documents are presented for registration. They urged the court to modify the order by imposing a condition that the purchasers of plots shall be under obligation to provide an irrevocable bank guarantee from a nationalised bank for Rs 4,000 per sq. yd. in favour of the APIIC, before the documents were presented for registration. When the judge expressed his disinclination to review the order, the petitioners urged him to grant them the liberty to withdraw the plea.

SCCL: Lift stay on sand mining
The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) on Tuesday moved the AP High Court seeking vacation of stay granted on sand mining across the state. The ban on sand mining had an adverse effect on stowing operations in the coal mines, it claimed. The company said that by virtue of the stay order, it was unable to carry sand quarrying for six mining leases held by it in Karimnagar district. SCCL contended that it has been incurring huge losses in coal production due to scarcity of sand which is an essential ingredient in coal mining.