Telangana HC Declines Petition Against Demolition of Gurudwara, Temple
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court declined to grant a house motion petition filed by the caretakers of Gurudwara Baba Meher Dass and residents of Petlaburj, challenging the marking of Gurudwara Baba Mehar Dass and Hanuman Temple, which are adjacent to the Police Transport Organisation, and several houses as being in the full tank level (FTL) and buffer zone of the Musi River.
Mahendar Singh Das, caretaker of the gurudwara and the temple, and 15 others filed the petition questioning the action of revenue officials and HYDRAA in marking the places of worship for demolition. They denied the properties were in the river area. They submitted that they were being threatened by officials with demolition of their residences.
The caretaker submitted that four acres and 20 guntas of private patta land in Petlaburj was gifted to Baba Mehar Dass during the Nizam era. This land was intended for public service and community worship, and it has been maintained by the successors of the original caretakers. Historical records indicate that the area is situated outside the boundary wall of the river.
During that time a dhamshala was constructed for travellers, and the customs department of Nizam had exempted tax collections from the gurudwara.
The property was succeeded by Narayan Meher Das ji, who cleared construction of a Hanuman temple on a part of land, both of which he maintained. The successor Kishan Singh Das performed similar services at the gurudwara and the temple. His family members, the petitioner Mahender Singh and others inherited the property after his demise in 1980 and since then discharging duties as caretakers of this property.