Telangana HC Hearing on Unregistered Land Transfers

A two-judge panel of the Telangana High Court will decide the effect of the newly enacted Telangana Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights in Land) Act, 2025, on pending applications for regularisation of unregistered land transactions under the former Act. The panel comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin was hearing a writ plea filed by Shinde Devidas. The petitioner was challenging the validity of the GO of October 2020, which permitted the regularisation of unregistered land sale transactions under the Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Passbooks Act, 1971. The petitioner contended that the GO and consequential proceedings of tahsildars regularising unregistered transactions were ultra vires, arbitrary, unconstitutional and prone to large-scale misuse by speculative purchasers, thereby prejudicing genuine landowners. He contended that the impugned GO and proceedings be held null and void. On an earlier occasion, the court had restrained the state from processing applications received after October 29, 2020, while allowing enquiry into 2,26,693 applications submitted between October 12 and October 29, 2020, subject to further orders. On Tuesday, the Advocate General submitted that under the newly enacted Telangana Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights in Land) Act, 2025, Section 6 provided a window for small and marginal farmers to regularise pre-June 2, 2014, unregistered transfers if they had applied between October 12 and November 10, 2020. He sought the vacating of the earlier interim order to enable the government to process such applications. Senior counsel for the petitioner sought time to respond. The panel directed the matter to be listed on August 26.

2. Engg college in dock for not publishing list

Justice K. Lakshman of the Telangana High Court admitted a writ plea challenging the inaction of the Maturi Venkata Subba Rao Engineering College in not releasing the merit list for B-Category engineering admissions for 2025–26. The judge was hearing a writ plea filed by Modugu Mani Kumar Reddy, a student from Nalgonda district. The petitioner contended that despite his application and a representation, the college failed to publish the merit list and selection list as mandated. He argued that such inaction was arbitrary, illegal and contrary to the guidelines issued by the Telangana State Council of Higher Education in July 2025, as well as the statutory procedure. He sought a direction for the immediate release of the list in the interest of justice. The judge directed the respondents to obtain instructions.

3. HC grants bail in Pocso case

Justice K. Sujana of the Telangana High Court granted bail to a farmer accused in a case of alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl. The judge was dealing with a criminal petition filed by the accused, who has been in judicial custody since June 17, 2025. According to the prosecution, the petitioner, a relative of the victim, allegedly lured the child with biscuits, took her to a field on the outskirts of Cherlaguda and attempted to sexually assault her before being apprehended by locals. A case was registered for offences under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Pocso Act. Counsel for the petitioner contended that he was innocent, falsely implicated and that the mandatory period of 60 days for filing a chargesheet had expired without compliance. The additional public prosecutor opposed bail, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the age of the victim. Recording that no chargesheet had been filed within the stipulated time, the judge held it to be a fit case for the grant of conditional bail.

4. HC fines petitioners Rs 1 lakh for suppressing facts

Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka of the Telangana High Court dismissed a writ plea challenging the South Central Railways’ move to acquire land in Malkajgiri, Medchal district, for railway construction and imposed costs of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioners for suppressing pending litigation over the same property. The judge was dealing with a writ plea filed by S. Mohammed Yousuf Quadri and 14 others, related to land in Survey No. 764 (764/1 to 764/19), measuring 4.02 acres. The petitioners alleged that officials attempted to dispossess them without notice or due process, calling the action illegal, arbitrary and violative of the Constitution. During the hearing, Deepak Misra, counsel for the implead petitioner, pointed out that the petitioners concealed the pendency of several civil suits concerning the same property. He argued that the petitioners had obtained an ex parte decree by playing fraud, which was already under challenge in a separate suit filed by the impleaded parties. Rejecting the petitioner’s claim of ignorance regarding the pending litigation, the judge observed that suppression of material facts went to the root of the matter. Concluding that the petitioners approached the court with unclean hands, the judge dismissed the writ petition and directed them to pay Rs 1 lakh as costs.