Hyderabad: GHMC commissioner Lokesh Kumar on Monday appeared before the Telangana High Court in a contempt case for causing hindrance to a landowner in withdrawing compensation amount for a plot acquired by the civic body.
Other officers — Arvind Kumar, principal secretary of municipal administration and Dana Kishore, former GHMC commissioner — took exemption from appearance before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili.
All these officers were directed earlier to appear in person in the contempt case filed by Mohammad Kazam Ali of Raidurg in Serilingampalli mandal of Ranga Reddy district urging the court to punish the officers because they failed to pay the compensation to him even after an order from the court.
His plot at Naga Hills was acquired by the GHMC for road widening and a compensation of `1.64 crore was sanctioned. However, the GHMC deposited the amount before a competent authority on condition that the amount would be given only after the owner proved title. The GHMC contended that the plot was on government land.
When the issue came up before the High Court earlier, the court asked the GHMC why it had issued notification for government land and why it continued land acquisition proceedings with the petitioner, once it was known that it was government land. It asked why the corporation did not file a case before a civil court for title over the land. The authorities failed to explain the reasons but did not comply with the court orders to pay the compensation to the petitioner. Hence, they were directed to appear.
The bench also directed the counsel for the petitioner to place before the court the documents proving his title over the land during the next hearing.
