Telangana government Contends 1,521 Acres In Devaryamjal Belongs To Endowments
The lands, it said, had already been included in the prohibited list
Hyderabad:The Telangana government on Tuesday strongly argued before the Telangana High Court that 1,521 acres and 13 guntas in Devaryamjal village, Shamirpet mandal of Medchal-Malkajgiri district, belonged to Sri Sitarama Swamy Temple but were illegally claimed by certain individuals as private patta lands in collusion with revenue officials. The lands, it said, had already been included in the prohibited list.
Appearing before Justice Jukanti Anil Kumar, government counsel Katram Muralidhar Reddy submitted that the 1925 pahani, chowfasla, and sethwar records showed the land in the name of the temple, with Ramudi Pullaiah as trustee. However, the land was later altered in records as patta land without any supporting proceedings, ROR entries, or passbooks. He further argued that the encroachers had even formed a farmers’ association to press their claims, but a 2021 CCLA inquiry confirmed that over 1,400 acres belonged to the temple.
More than 300 writ petitions have been filed challenging the 2014 CCLA proceedings and the inclusion of these lands in the prohibited list. The private claimants cited title deeds, sale registrations dating back to 1937, and continuous possession as the basis of their ownership. Advocate Chinnolla Naresh Reddy, representing one of the claimants, objected to reliance on the 1935 revenue record, arguing that systematic maintenance of revenue records had begun only in the 1940s.
The court adjourned the matter for replies from the remaining petitioners.
