THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE V. ESWARAIAH WRIT PETITION No.14656 OF 2005 Dated: 20-02-2006 Between E. Sambasiva Pratap, S/o. E.S.N. Murthy, Occ: Advocate, Flat No.9, Block – 18, MIG-II, Baghlingampally, Hyderabad. …PETITIONER AND The Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad and others. …RESPONDENTS ORDER: This writ petition is filed seeking a declaration that the action of the respondents 2 to 34 in not paying the legal fee and expenses to the petitioner as per statement dated 31.07.2002 as arbitrary and illegal. The petitioner is a practicing advocate. It is not in dispute that the petitioner was appointed as a standing counsel for the Municipalities (Andhra Area) vide G.O.Rt.No.159 dated 09.05.1996 and G.O.Rt.No.1094 dated 09.07.1999 and has represented the respondents before this Court as well as the Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal in several cases until his successor has been appointed in the month of July 2002. The petitioner states that he was not paid the legal fee to which he is entitled to in number of cases and therefore he has sent a consolidated fee bills dated 31.07.2002, 05.09.2002 and 08.08.2003 to the respondent municipalities through registered post with acknowledgement due. The only grievance of the petitioner is that the respondents have not paid the legal fee even till today and the consolidated bill has been merely kept pending. Hence, this writ petition. Having heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and Sri S. Nageswara Reddy, learned standing counsel appearing for the respondents and in view of the undisputed fact that the petitioner was appointed as Standing Counsel for the Municipalities and appeared for the respondents during his tenure, and on a perusal of the material on record, which shows that the petitioner has submitted a consolidated fee bill as long back as on 31.07.2002, I deem it appropriate to dispose of the writ petition with a direction to the respondents to process the said bill submitted by the petitioner dated 31.07.2002 and to make the payment to the petitioner in accordance with law, as expeditiously as possible, preferably within a period of eight weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. The writ petition is accordingly disposed of. ______________ V. ESWARAIAH, J February 20, 2006 DSK