HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday issued status quo orders on alienating of endowment land of 1,022 and 32 guntas in Survey No.s 163 to 180, 182 to 208, 211, 212 and 219 of Nazidik Singaram village, Yacharam mandal, Ranga Reddy district, for the construction of Hyderabad Pharma City.
A division bench of Justice Tadakamalla Vinod Kumar and Justice Pulla Karthik questioned the government, TS Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd (TSIIC) and revenue authorities as to how the government could alienate endowment Justice Pulla Karthik land for industrial purposes and sought a reply by July 12.
The bench was dealing with an appeal filed by devotees of a temple which is situated on the land. The appellants challenged the single judge order dated November 21, 2022, permitting the alienation of endowment land.
In 2006, a division bench of the then undivided AP High Court had in a writ petition (No. 10547 of 2006) directed that no sale or alienation of endowment land shall be effected without permission of the court. After that, another division bench ordered that endowment land cannot be alienated for any purpose, other than irrigation and water body.
Following this, the TSIIC approached the High Court for the acquisition of the land in Nazidik Singaram and was duly allowed by the single bench which directed it to deposit the compensation in the endowment account.
In the petition challenging the order, Ch. Ravi Kumar, counsel for the appellants, argued as per the 2006 orders, only a division bench could permit alienation of endowment lands and that too for the purpose of irrigation and water bodies.
Justice Vinod Kumar questioned the TSIIC on how it could file a petition for permission before the court for land alienation when it was the only receiving party. The judge said that only the land acquisition authority has the right to file a petition for permission, as it pays the compensation.
