Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court directed the Medak and Hyderabad district collectors not to entertain claims for compensation of lands acquired to establish the Air Force Academy at Dundigal.
While dismissing a batch of petitions seeking compensation for the lands, Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao found that 1,492 acres of land lay outside the secure fence. The petitioners and others like them gained a wrong impression that those lands were not acquired.
B. Balamma and others residents of Dacharam village of the district moved the HC stating that Air Force authorities were forcibly evicting them from their lands adjacent to the Academy without following the law. They urged the court that they declare the action of the authorities as illegal and also urged to direct the officials to pay them compensation.
The judge directed the defence and Central government officials and revenue department of the state to produce records pertaining to land acquisition for the academy. After perusing the records, the judge found that during 1960 and 1962, an extent 6,807 acres spread over 13 villages in Medak district and the former Hyderabad district were acquired by the state for establishment of Air Force Academy.
Out of the total land, 5,315 acres were securely fenced and is being used exclusively to operate the Air Force Academy. The remaining 1,492 acres was lying outside the secure fence set up by the Academy. The judge ruled that claims made by petitioners over the land forming part of 1,492 acres are baseless, and no question of acquisition of these lands all over again would arise.
The judge said that the chief commissioner of land administration and the principal secretary of revenue department are alone competent to entertain any such claims, in case justifiable material is produced before them.
The judge directed the Medak district collector to return Rs 7.20 crore to the Defence Estate Officer, Secunderabad, that were deposited to pay compensation and the judge, asked the estate officer to retain the money for three years and if any genuine claim does not come forward by then, the money shall be transferred back to the defence ministry.
While dismissing the petitions, the judge imposed '1,500 fine on each petitioner for making fraudulent claims.
JNTU circular on hiring suspended
Justice Vilas Afzulpurkar of the High Court on Thursday granted interim suspension of a circular issued by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad directing minority engineering colleges to have one nominee from the varsity in selection committees that are meeting to select teaching faculty.
The judge was dealing petitions by Noor Engineering College and others challenging the circular giving schedule for the process of selection to fill the vacancies in the teaching faculty.
