Telangana High Court Puts GHMC Road Widening Near OGH On Hold

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court granted interim relief to a group of residents and business owners in Goshamahal, Hyderabad, by halting the proposed demolition of their properties by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The judge was dealing with a writ plea filed by Mohd Abdul Mannan Khan and others, opposing the demolition under the pretext of road widening near the Osmania General Hospital. The petitioners alleged that the GHMC and state authorities were attempting to demolish their properties without following due process of law, proper notification, or consideration of existing road alignments. The petitioners claimed that the road widening project violated the GHMC Act and constitutional provisions and would severely impact their lives and livelihoods. The properties in question include residential and commercial buildings, some categorised under heritage and notified zones. The judge, after a preliminary hearing, passed an interim order restraining the authorities from proceeding with the demolition. The judge directed GHMC and other authorities to file their response.

HC dismisses habeas corpus after detenue produced

A division bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar on Wednesday disposed of a habeas corpus petition after the detenue’s production before court. The court held that the plea of illegal detention was not sustainable. The bench dealt with a writ plea filed by Marri Lakshmi. The petitioner contended that her husband, Marri Madhan, was unlawfully picked up by the Thipparthi Police, Nalgonda district, in September. She sought production of CCTV footage of the police station and his mobile location history to substantiate the claim of illegal custody. The special government pleader appearing for the State submitted that the detenue already had eight criminal cases pending against him and that there was no illegal detention. It was stated that he appeared before the police on September 8, when he was served notice under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, followed by another notice directing him to appear before the Court. The state further informed that he and the other accused were taken away during a gang clash on September 7 at the time of Ganesh immersion, which led to police intervention and subsequent investigation. The bench, after verifying the written instructions filed by the state and noting the physical presence of the detenue in court, held that the Habeas Corpus plea did not survive. It further clarified that other reliefs sought, including production of CCTV footage and mobile location history, fell outside the scope of a Habeas Corpus petition and could be pursued separately through an independent writ petition.

Excise dept told to review retention of funds

Justice K. Lakshman of the Telangana High Court required the excise authorities to examine their power to retain amounts held by them pending criminal proceedings. The judge was dealing with a writ petition filed by Ghanshyam Das Karwa, complaining that the bank guarantee against the release of a lorry was being withheld without the authority of law. The lorry of the petitioner was seized for transporting jaggery allegedly involved in an excise case. The lorry was directed to be released on the petitioner executing a bank guarantee. The bank guarantee was executed in 2024. Though the main case was quashed by the High Court and no criminal case is pending, the excise authorities did not dislodge the bank guarantee. Counsel for the petitioner, Mayur Mundra, would contend that such an action of continuing liability when the criminal case itself was closed is illegal. Justice Lakshman accordingly directed the authorities to consider the representation and pass orders.