Telangana HC orders probe into alleged Bhoodan land grab in Nagaram

While issuing notice in the contempt proceedings, Justice Bhaskar Reddy directed the Ranga Reddy District Collector to conduct an immediate enquiry and file a factual report on the alleged construction activity within two weeks.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy of the Telangana High Court directed the Ranga Reddy District Collector to submit a detailed report within two weeks on alleged ongoing constructions on lands classified as Bhoodan lands in Nagaram village, Maheshwaram Mandal, despite the Court’s earlier directions prohibiting such activity.

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The direction was issued in a contempt case filed by Birla Mallesh, alleging willful disobedience of the High Court’s earlier interim order dated April 24, 2025, in a writ petition, which had directed the authorities to place survey numbers in Nagaram identified as Bhoodan lands—under the prohibited category, thereby barring any transactions or developments on them.

In his petition, Mallesh specifically alleged that respondent No. 7, Bavandla Pally Anand, continued to carry out illegal construction in blatant disregard of the Court’s orders. Photographs submitted to the Court depicted the construction of a compound wall at the site, indicating ongoing development.

Taking note of the complaint and photographic evidence, the Court observed that if the allegations were true, they amounted to prima facie contempt of court. Accordingly, while issuing notice in the contempt proceedings, Justice Bhaskar Reddy directed the Ranga Reddy District Collector to conduct an immediate enquiry and file a factual report on the alleged construction activity within two weeks.

The underlying writ petition had raised serious allegations regarding encroachment and unauthorized development on government-assigned Bhoodan lands, purportedly involving several high-ranking officials and their family members, including IAS and IPS officers such as Navin Mittal, B.K. Rahul Hegde, Lankela Subbarayayudu, and Ajay Jain among others.

The High Court had earlier passed interim orders restraining any transactions on these survey numbers and had directed the lands to be reflected as prohibited properties.