Telangana HC Pulls Up Revenue Staff for Land Rows
The court also faulted the procedure adopted by the police in asking for status reports from the revenue department over the disputed land parcels that were under litigation
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday pulled up revenue authorities for interfering in land disputes which were pending before the courts. The court also faulted the procedure adopted by the police in asking for status reports from the revenue department over the disputed land parcels that were under litigation.
Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy was dealing with a petition filed by B. Bujji, who complained against Saroornagar mandal tahsildar P. Venugopal who allegedly issued orders regarding a 400-square yard plot in Survey No. 60 of Karmanghat, despite the civil court having issued injunction orders.
The tahsildar decided that the plot was situated in Survey No. 58, instead of in No. 60. He did not issue notice to the petitioner and decided the plot did not belong to her.
Moreover, the report ratified that the land belonged to a plot which did not have a number in the layout. Based on the report, Meerpet police allowed third parties to enter the disputed plot, even though injunction orders were subsisting. Third parties broke the compound wall and other constructions in the plot.
Aggrieved with the overaction of police and revenue staff, Bujji approached the High Court.
Justice Bhaskar Reddy made it clear that when a land dispute was pending before the court, neither the revenue authorities nor the police had a right to interfere to decide the ownership or possession or localisation of the land under the guise of dispute resolution or by saying that it was to maintain law and order problem.
The court made it clear that tahsildars only had the authority to verify the land, records and revenue, but were not given powers of the civil court which has the authority to decide the ownership, title and possession.
The court rapped the Saroornagar tahsildar and Meerpet police and questioned who gave them the power to do “dhanda”. Justice Bhaskar Reddy also asked: “Were you feeling that you are a higher authority than the court?”
The court suggested that they first learn what their duties and responsibilities were, and cautioned them that the salaries would be attached if such incidents occurred again. The court set aside the orders of the tahsildar.
