Telangana High Court orders status quo on 7-acre land dispute

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao ordered that the status quo be maintained concerning a 7-acre piece of land located in Pokalagudem Village, Khammam District. This decision comes amid an ongoing legal dispute involving appellants Gajula Laxmaian and others.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court has ordered that the status quo be maintained concerning a 7-acre piece of land located in Pokalagudem Village, Khammam District. This decision comes amid an ongoing legal dispute involving appellants Gajula Laxmaian and others. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao, is reviewing an appeal challenging a government order issued by the Tribal Welfare Department in July 2008. The appellants, who have been in possession of the land since 1967, argue that their peaceful possession is well-documented in revenue records. The controversy dates back to proceedings initiated against the appellants under the A.P Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulations. After a thorough enquiry, these proceedings were dropped, acknowledging the appellants’ rightful possession. Despite this, Mr. Islavath Ramulu filed a statutory appeal, which was favorably ruled by the authorities, leading to the appellants’ eviction order. The appellants further contended that their revision petition to the State against the eviction was dismissed unjustly. They argue that the primary authority’s decision to drop proceedings based on substantial evidence was ignored by the appellant authority and the State. The petitioners also claimed that repeated inquiries and eviction orders amounted to harassment and were unjust. In their appeal, the petitioners criticized the single judge’s earlier dismissal of their writ petition, describing the order as unreasoned and lacking findings. They contended that the failure to address their arguments fairly further compounded the injustice. Following a detailed hearing, the bench has issued notices and directed maintaining the status quo.

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2. Justice T. Vinod Kumar of the Telangana High Court has taken on file a writ petition challenging the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and other authorities for their alleged inaction concerning unauthorized constructions by Penuel House of Worship (PHW) in Bandlaguda. The writ plea was filed by the Gopala Krishna Puram Residents Welfare Association, which claims that despite multiple representations to GHMC, no action has been taken against the purported illegal constructions carried out by PHW. The petitioners allege that their concerns regarding these unauthorized structures have been consistently ignored by the authorities.During today’s hearing, the standing counsel for the respondent authorities informed the court that a show cause notice had been issued to PHW, requesting an explanation within seven days of receiving the notice. As the stipulated period for the response had not yet expired, the standing counsel requested additional time to update the court on the actions taken. Accordingly the judge has adjourned the matter for further hearing.