High Court halts eviction of tribal farmers, grants relief to 37 podu farmers

The respondents in the case, the forest department, district Collector and Bhadrachalam ITDA PO failed to file a counter in three hearings while the government pleader tried to establish the tribal farmers as encroachers.

Kothagudem: Offering relief to as many as 37 podu farmers, the Telangana High Court has directed authorities to maintain status quo with respect to 111 acres of forest land under cultivation in Iravendi gram panchayat of Aswapuram mandal in the district.

The tribal farmers, represented by an advocate Nallapu Manideep filed a writ petition (No. 15152 of 2025) before the court against the forest department’s efforts to evict them and dig trenches on the lands at Chintakunta and Mothepattinagar villages under the gram panchayat.

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The court found the department’s actions illegal and violated Section 4(5) of RoFR Act as the claims under the act were pending. In the interim order passed on June 26, Justice Pulla Karthik also directed the podu farmers not to encroach forest lands further in the guise of the order.

The petitioners’ advocate Manideep stated that the petitioners were cultivating the lands for over three decades.

Acknowledgement receipts were issued in 2021 by the forest rights committee and panchayat secretary of Mothepattinagar for the claims under RoFR Act.

He contended that the forest officials undertook trench digging with the intent to displace them. The petitioners had no alternative source of sustenance and were entirely dependent on these lands.

The respondents in the case, the forest department, district Collector and Bhadrachalam ITDA PO failed to file a counter in three hearings while the government pleader tried to establish the tribal farmers as encroachers.

The petitioners’ counsel argued that the farmers were not encroachers, but long-time cultivators and said the law clearly prohibits eviction until claims were verified. The matter was posted for further hearing on July 24, enabling the State to file its counter-affidavit.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Manideep informed that in 2019, the then ITDA PO wrote to the concerned district officials that the tribal farmers could continue cultivation as their RoFR claims were pending.

The status quo order provides immediate relief to ensure their cultivation was not disturbed while the legal process continues, he added.