Telangana HC refuses to suspend redeployment of VROs

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court made it abundantly clear on Wednesday that the court will not suspend the process of redeployment of Village Revenue Officers (VRO) in other departments, but ruled that the redeployment will be subject to the ultimate conclusion on the writ petitions.

Justice P Madhavi Devi served notices on the Chief Secretary, Special Chief Secretary to the Government, Finance Department, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, and Chief Commissioner of the Land Administration, to submit their answers to the court within two weeks.K Pawan Kumar, counsel for the petitioners, stressed the need for suspending GO 121 because the Telangana government had not developed any process or mechanism prior to redeploying VROs to other departments. Though the Telangana government passed the “Telangana Abolition of Posts of VROs Act, 2020” in the Assembly on September 9, 2020, the government continued to attach the VROs to the Revenue department and pay them salaries in the post of VRO only. He said that salary slips of the petitioners were also furnished to the court as proof of the claim.

 The VROs have been attached to the Revenue Department for the last two years and were in limbo due to an abrupt decision by the Government. The absence of VROs is affecting the updation of land records work in the Revenue department.In response to the Court’s inquiry, SGP informed the Court that the redeployment of VROs in other departments is a policy decision of the  Telangana Government, and that VROs, as Government workers, must abide and comply with the Government’s directives.