Hyderabad: A division bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukramji, on Thursday stayed the registration of properties in Discovery City housing projects constructed by Ramky Projects over unpaid land costs.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) allotted land to the realtor in 2008, with the agreement signed on January 28, 2008, as per which Ramky Group, Ramky Integrated Township Ltd, Ramky Infrastructure Ltd and Ramky Estates and Farms Ltd were to pay HMDA Rs 100 crore.
After considerable delays due to petitions filed by landowning farmers, which were to be acquired by the government, the projects were recently completed and put up for sale. However, homebuyers were unable to register their properties in Gardenia Grove Villas, Greenview Apartments, the Huddle and Golden Circle projects in Survey Nos. 227 and 230 of Srinagar village in Maheshwaram mandal of Ranga Reddy district.
On a specific request from the HMDA, the commissioner and IG of the stamps and registration department had listed the survey numbers in the ‘prohibitory’ list, following which homebuyers and the realtor approached the High Court.
In the course of the hearings, it was revealed that the realtor had paid only Rs 25 crore of the total to HMDA. The municipal administration department submitted that even lay-out fees were not paid by the developers, who were trying to sell the properties without obtaining occupancy certificates.
However, the single-judge bench on November 30, 2022, directed the Maheshwaram sub-registrar to register the sale deed documents, urging the HMDA to opt for alternative remedies to get their dues.
Challenging the single judge’s orders, landowners Yatam Murali and Paluri Ravishankar approached the division bench and challenged the orders of the single judge. The division bench on Thursday stayed these orders.
The division bench said it will hear the case in detail on February 22.
