High Court Suspends Earlier Order On Land E-Auction

Hyderabad:A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday granted interim relief to the government by suspending a single judge’s order that had set aside the e-auction of 4.19 acres of land in Survey No. 288/4 of Budvel. The e-auction, conducted by the HMDA on August 10, 2023, was annulled by the single judge on May 2, 2025, on the ground that private claimants who were asserting ownership over the land were not given adequate opportunity before the auction process was undertaken.

Hearing the state’s appeal, a division bench of Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar suspended the single judge’s order to the extent of setting aside the auction. The bench, however, imposed the conditions that while HMDA may proceed with conducting the e-auction, it shall not declare the highest bidder or take any consequential steps until two weeks after the Rangareddy collector decides the pending representations of the private parties claiming ownership.

The bench observed that the authorities had exceeded the timelines set by the single judge for disposal of the representations and had failed to make any progress despite issuing notices to the claimants as early as in June. Noting this delay, the court directed the collector to ensure that the private respondents were given due notice and an opportunity of hearing, and to pass a reasoned order on their representations by December 12. A copy of the decision must be furnished to the parties by December 15.

The bench made it clear that the state authorities shall take a final call on the e-auction only after December 31, subject to the outcome of the decision on the private claimants’ representations.

Korani Ravinder and his brother had claimed the land of 4.19 acres in SurveyNo. 288/4 of Budvel. They argued that the land was allotted to the father of the petitioners i.e. Korani Ganesh, in 1978 subject to payment of `375 as per Section 14 (2) of the Act, 1973 in 13 equal annual instalments to the government within 15 years from the date of allotment. Their father paid the amount and became absolute owner and possessor of the land.

His name was also mutated in the revenue records and pattadar passbooks and title deeds were issued his name. His name was also reflected in the I-B Register and pahanies. But, the government had a hoarding on the land, proposing to sell 100 acres of land by dividing them into 14 plots proposing to conduct e-auction on 10.08.2023. When challenged the e-auction proposal, the High Court set aside the auction.

Court pulls up police for inaction

Hyderabad:The Telangana High Court on Tuesday pulled up the Bhupalpally police for sparing then-collector of Jayashankar Bhupalapally district by not registering a case against him for allotting public funds for the construction of a temple by then- legislator Gandra Venkat Ramana Reddy of the BRS and his family members, in shikam land, in 2022.

The court asked how the then-collector had allowed the construction of the temple or a commercial building in the shikam (full tank level) land of a lake and how he could have allocated public funds.

Justice Jukanti Anil Kumar made it clear that if the police dragged on investigation or freed anybody, the High Court with its inherent power would direct them to make the then-collector an accused in the FIR.

At the same time, the judge rejected a plea of Venkat Ramana Reddy and his family members to withdraw the quash petition and bail petition filed by them in the FIR lodged on the same issue.

On a complaint filed by local resident Aravind, the Bhupalpally police on January 16, 2024, had registered a case against Venkata Ramana Reddy and his family members on charges of conspiring to encroach on two acres of land at the shikam land of Gorentlakunta, in Pulluriramaiahpally of Bhupalapally mandal. Venkata Ramana Reddy and his family approached the court seeking quashing of the case or a stay of criminal proceedings initiated against them.

On Tuesday, during the hearing, their counsel requested the court for withdrawal of the quash petition as well as anticipatory bail petition filed by them. The court inquired in depth of the issue. When it was found that the then-collector had allotted public money for construction of the temple, the judge expressed his anger and questioned the prosecution for the delay of 22 months in filing the chargesheet. The court adjourned the case to next week.

HC: HYDRAA can act on Sandhya Conventions

Hyderabad:The Telangana High Court allowed HYDRAA to take action, following procedure, against Sandhya Conventions of S. Sridhar Rao and its group of establishments if they built unauthorised constructions or encroached on public roads in the layout of the Fertiliser Corporation of India (FCI) Housing Society Colony.

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy, who was hearing the case, took serious note of the encroachment of roads and the constructions of several structures. The 20-acre layout has 162 plots. The court said that the department concerned had the power to remove the illegal structures and encroachments, if public roads and parks were encroached upon. The judge warned that the court would not sit as a silent spectator with regard to illegal encroachments.

HYDRAA had recently removed illegal structures and encroachments made by the Sandhya Conventions’s Sridhar Rao and his establishments in the FCI Housing Society Colony in Survey No.s 122, 123, 124 and 127 of Gachibowli. Complaining against HYDRAA and its commissioner A.V. Ranganath, Sridhar Rao and his group filed contempt cases.

A few plot owners, who approached HYDRAA complaining of road encroachments,also filed an implead petition stating that they had approached the agency for taking action against Sridhar Rao. They complained that Sridhar Rao was threatening them and forcing them to sell their plots.

Justice Vijaysen Reddy gave audience to the plotowners in the court hall where they that Sridhar Rao and his associates had attacked one of the owners. They brought to the notice of the court that the Supreme Court had imposed a fine of `10 lakh on Sridhar Rao.

They said the associates of Sridhar Rao did not allow them to go or even see their plots in the layout. They said it was on their request that HYDRAA officials had responded, and removed the road encroachments after a field survey. The matter was adjourned to November 18.