HC sets aside Lokayukta orders to GHMC

Hyderabad:The Telangana High Court criticised the Telangana Lokayukta for issuing orders beyond its jurisdiction. The Division Bench of the Telangana High Court has quashed the Lokayukta's orders issued in 2015, which directed the GHMC to remove illegal constructions made by a private party.

The Bench stated that while the provisions of the Telangana Lokayukta Act, 1983 allow for the investigation of administrative actions taken by public servants, including omissions, commissions, and failures to act, the Act does not authorize the Lokayukta to order the removal of alleged illegal constructions or clear road encroachments.

The Lokayukta's directive to GHMC stemmed from a complaint regarding illegal encroachments and constructions on the land in question. The property owner contested the orders, claiming that the land originally belonged to him and that GHMC authorities had seized it without compensating him for road widening, in violation of a status quo order.

The court, refraining from commenting on the legality of the constructions and encroachments, emphasised that the Lokayukta lacked the jurisdiction to issue such orders and subsequently quashed them.