Telangana High Court Raps Endowments Dept Over Missing Devaryamjal Temple Documents

Hyderabad:The Telangana High Court on Friday came down heavily on the endowments department for failing to produce crucial land records pertaining to Sri Seetha Rama Chandra Swamy Temple at Devaryamjal in Shamirpet mandal. Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, who was hearing a batch of 54 writ petitions, expressed strong displeasure at the department’s conduct and granted a final one-week deadline to place before the court the complete survey numbers, Sethwar and connected land records, along with a detailed counter affidavit.

The state government claims around 1,512 acres as temple land. It depended on the records of the 1925-26 Pahani showing the land in the name of Sri Seetharama Swamy Temple, with Ramudi Pullayya as trustee.

In the 1354 Fasli (1944) Sethwar, the land was recorded as government property, but by 1954-55 it was shown as patta land. The CCLA included the land in the prohibited list.

Aggrieved by the order, and objecting to disallowing of registrations, private persons who said they had been cultivating the land for decades and were subsequent purchasers and plot-owners approached the High Court. Their cases are pending.

Two days ago, Justice Anil Kumar directed the endowment commissioner to be present in the court along with the revenue records of the land from 1925 to November 26. The commissioner appeared before the court on Friday but did not furnish the records except some papers relating to the 1925-26 pahanies and some others.

Expressing displeasure that the full record had not been furnished, the judge noted that the petitioners had asserted title and possession over the land for nearly four decades, yet the authorities had repeatedly failed to furnish the statutory documents necessary to adjudicate the dispute.

Justice Anil Kumar made it clear that the court would rely exclusively on original documents. “This court proceeds strictly on record and not on tangential material,” he remarked, cautioning that the evasive approach of the authorities was unacceptable.

The judge also noted that a 2015 single judge order dealing with several original applications pertaining to the same land had not been brought to the court’s attention during earlier rounds of hearing. Despite multiple opportunities, none of the parties had disclosed the order, the court said.

Counsel for the endowments department sought two weeks to compile the records, citing that the commissioner had taken charge two months ago. Counsel also requested exemption from the commissioner’s personal appearance. While the court agreed to dispense with the appearance, it refused to extend the deadline, stating that no further delay would be tolerated.

Justice Anil Kumar reiterated that failure to file the complete record and counter affidavit within one week would be viewed seriously. The matter was adjourned to next Friday.