Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court issued notice to State authorities over the non-appointment of a Telangana Working Journalists Federation representative to the State Media Accreditation Committee.
Justice E. V. Venugopal, presiding over a Single Bench, directed the respondents to file a counter affidavit. He acted after hearing a petition that alleged official inaction. The court then adjourned the matter for further hearing.
Bodige Basava Punnaiah, General Secretary of the Telangana Working Journalists Federation, filed the petition. He is a resident of Jillelaguda in Ranga Reddy district. Advocate Rapolu Bhaskar represented him before the court.
The respondents included the State of Telangana. Officials from the Information and Public Relations Department were also named. These included the Principal Secretary, the Chief Secretary, and the Special Commissioner. The Chairman of the Telangana Media Academy and Mamidi Somaiah, former federation president, were also listed.
Media accreditation committee appointments dispute raised in court
The petitioner said the Special Commissioner failed to act on his representation dated December 29, 2025. He sought the appointment of B. Jagadeeshwar, Correspondent at Nava Telangana State Bureau, as a member of the State Media Accreditation Committee.
He argued that G.O.Ms. No. 229 mandated the appointment. The General Administration (Information and Public Relations) Department issued this order on February 12, 2026. However, authorities did not implement it.
Moreover, the petition claimed that the inaction violated constitutional provisions. These included Articles 14, 15, 21, and 300-A. It also cited a breach of the Principles of Natural Justice.
Media accreditation committee appointments linked to government order
The petitioner urged the court to direct authorities to consider his representation. He also sought the appointment of B. Jagadeeshwar as the federation’s representative.
After reviewing the submissions, Justice Venugopal directed the respondents to file their counter affidavit. The order set the stage for further examination of the issue.