Telangana HC refuses to stay appointment of ex DGP as security advisor

Telangana High Court says appointment of retired officials as advisors is a policy matter and refuses interim relief against GO 1339.

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday, May 7, refused to grant an interim stay on the appointment of former Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy as the state security advisor, observing that the appointment of retired officials as advisors or Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) falls within the government’s policy domain and courts cannot ordinarily interfere in such decisions.

Petition challenges appointment

The matter came up during the hearing of a petition filed by Dhanagopal Rao, who had earlier challenged Shivadhar Reddy’s appointment as Director General of Police (DGP), alleging that it violated the Supreme Court guidelines laid down in the Prakash Singh Case.

In the same case, the petitioner also filed an interim application challenging the government’s decision to appoint Shivadhar Reddy as State Security Advisor through Government Order (GO) No. 1339.

During the hearing, Justice B Vijay Sen Reddy questioned how courts could interfere in decisions relating to government appointments. The petitioner’s counsel urged the court to suspend the implementation of GO 1339 until the main petition was decided.

However, the court stated that no interim orders could be issued at this stage and adjourned the matter for further hearing to June 26.