Telangana High Court Denies Claims to Inam Lands Near Saroornagar FTL
HC upholds cancelling occupancy rights over 48 acres near Saroornagar FTL
Hyderabad: Justice K. Lakshman of the Telangana High Court dismissed a writ petition challenging the cancellation of occupancy rights over approximately 48 acres of land situated within the Full Tank Level of Saroornagar Tank. The judge was dealing with a writ petition filed by K. Jyothi and 47 others, who claimed ownership of land originally granted as Inam lands and later transferred to them through private transactions.
Their claim was based on occupancy rights granted in 1980 to their predecessors by the Revenue Divisional Officer, following an earlier direction by the High Court. However, the joint collector, in an appeal filed by the Mandal Revenue Officer in 2004, set aside those Occupancy Rights Certificates (ORCs), citing that the lands fell within a water body and therefore could not be legally occupied or cultivated under the AP (Telangana Area) Abolition of Inams Act. The order pointed to fraud and misrepresentation in the acquisition of the ORCs and highlighted that the lands were submerged and non-cultivable even as of the critical vesting date in 1973.
The petitioners, who did not appear during the appeal hearings, argued that the delay of 24 years in filing the appeal should not have been condoned and that they were denied the due process of law. The petitioners also cited prior High Court decisions which directed the payment of compensation for acquisition by the municipal authorities under the guise of environmental beautification. Nevertheless, the judge upheld the joint collector’s reasoning, reaffirming that water bodies must be preserved, even if unused.
The judge emphasised that land submerged in tanks and classified as poramboke or waste land cannot be subject to ORCs under the Inams Abolition Act. The judge also noted that the petitioners failed to produce any evidence of title or cultivation and confirmed that any sale made through notarised agreements by their predecessors held no legal validity.
PIL on puppy training for GHMC staff deferred
A two-judge panel of Telangana High Court comprising acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara deferred hearing of a PIL, inter alia, seeking an annual training to GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) employees and state police on Animal Welfare Acts and Rules. The panel was dealing with a PIL filed by party-in-person Vinay Vemula. The petitioner contended that the staff of GHMC and the police should not support or allow puppy abandonment in animal shelter homes, nor allow them to suffer from hunger and thirst.
The PIL sought for a direction to empower the police personnel on field to take stringent action against citizens who daily humiliate or intimidate community animal feeders. The petition noted that vulnerable puppies and mother dogs suffer abandonment, deprivation of food and water, and often die of starvation or dehydration. The panel directed the petitioner to file a rejoinder to the counter and further directed the remaining respondents to file their response.
HC for faster action on fake SI appointments
Justice Surepalli Nanda of the Telangana High Court directed the state police department to expedite the pending disciplinary proceedings against five individuals accused of securing sub-inspector (Civil) posts through fraud and impersonation during the 2008 recruitment drive conducted by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government. The judge heard a writ plea filed by Nimma Mahipal Reddy and three others who were next in line based on merit, seeking relief from the inordinate delay in concluding the disciplinary action against the accused.
The petitioners claimed that the continued suspension of the accused, without concluding the proceedings, unjustly denied them their rightful appointment to the sub-inspector posts. The judge acknowledged the prolonged inaction. The petitioners also contended that despite multiple representations made by the petitioners in 2017, no conclusive steps are taken by the respondent authorities. Taking a balanced view, the judge disposed of the writ petition with a direction to the petitioners to submit fresh representations to the official respondents within two weeks and directed the respondents to dispose of their representations within four weeks.
Collector’s reclassification of 20.12-acre Gap Land stayed
Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy of the Telangana High Court suspended a proceeding of district collector, Ranga Reddy directing to reclassify 20.12 acre government "Biladakala" (gap land) in Kondakal Village as private patta land. The judge is dealing with a writ plea filed by Yarrapothu Sailaja. The petitioner alleged that M/s. Bloostic Land Holdings Pvt. Ltd., represented by Shalini Bhoopal, encroached on the land by constructing a compound wall, obstructing access to adjacent properties.
Earlier, in a similar writ petition, the tahsildar confirmed the encroachment and initiated action under the AP Land Encroachment Act, 1905. However, the order of collector in 2022 to reclassify the land ignored these findings. Noting the discrepancy, the judge barred any change in the land’s status until further hearings and said that such disputes should ordinarily be resolved by civil courts. The matter is adjourned to June 24, 2025, directing the respondents to file their counter-affidavits.
