Telangana High Court sets aside Bendalapadu resolution against Gutti Koyas

Telangana High Court on Monday set aside the Bendalapadu Grama Panchayat's resolution against the Gutti Khoya tribe

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday set aside the Bendalapadu Grama Panchayat’s resolution against the Gutti Khoya tribe, calling for eviction of the tribe from the Yerrabodu habitation.

Justice Lalitha Kanneganti, dealing with the case filed by Kavasi Hadma and two other tribal dwellers of the Bendalapadu village, questioned the authority of the grama panchayat in passing an eviction order, which was passed after Forest Range Officer Ch Srinivas Rao died in an attack allegedly by members of the Gutti Khoya tribe.

The petitioners contended that the panchayat secretary and Sarpanch of the Bendalapadu village had passed an unconstitutional order without even conducting a grama panchayat. The resolution wanted the tribals to be sent back to Chhattisgarh from where they had migrated to Bendalapadu 40 years ago.

Petitioner counsel Ambedkar raised the contention that such an eviction order was a violation of the Panchayat Raj Act 2018, Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers Recognition of Forest Rights Act 2006.

Conceding with the petitioners, the court observed that there were appropriate laws to deal with crime and held the eviction as illegal. Accordingly the case was disposed.