Telangana HC notice to BRS MLA in land grab

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday issued notices to ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLA Arekapudi Gandhi who has been accused of attempting to grab prime land in the city by intimidating the owners.

The court was responding to a petition filed by Ajay Agarwal and Sulochana Agarwal, directors of Fenestration Systems Pvt Ltd, located in Survey No.s 33/8 33/9 in Jeedimetla.

The HC also issued notices the Telangana police, which includes the DGP, the Cyberabad police Commissioner, the DCP of Medchal, Pet Basheerabad circle inspector and sub-inspector, directing them to reply to allegations that they favoured the MLA and his henchmen by not registering the crime they allegedly committed.

According to the petitioners, about 100 armed persons, who they said were followers of the MLA, forcibly entry their premises, demolished sheds with excavators and took away valuable machinery and material on June 25. Several factory employees suffered injuries in the incident, they said. The MLA’s henchmen threatened to even murder those come in the way of demolition, the petitioners said.

The HC wanted to know why police did not act on the complaint for a week and diluted the gravity of the offence by clamping sections of less seriousness.

The petitioners informed the court that the factory of 70,000 square feet was built in six acres and 15 guntas and a civil dispute was underway over the property. “The MLA intervened in the civil dispute and tried to dispossess us with an intent to grab the land,” the petitioners alleged.