Hyderabad: The Telangana HC issued notices on Monday to the government on a petition challenging land allotment to the Sri Sarada Peetham of Vishakapatnam at Kokapet.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy was dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by social worker Ch. Veera Chary of Hyderabad, who questioned the government’s move in issuing GO.Ms.No.71, through which the Sri Sarada Peetham was allotted two acres of prime land in Survey No. 240 of Kokapet.
The bench issued notices to the revenue special chief secretary, the managing director of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, the Ranga Reddy collector and the dharmadhikari of the Sri Sarada Peetham, directing them to respond to the notices within four weeks.
The petitioner informed the court that the land had a market value of more than Rs 50 crore but the government had decided to allot it to the peetham at Rs 1 per acre, without mentioning any reason for such an allotment.
He contended that being a custodian of government lands, the state government should not alienate government lands according to the ruler’s choice.
