Telangana High Court questions government's move to take over assigned land
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday expressed apprehensions over the state government taking possession of land from the owners of assigned lands by applying the provision of ‘Unconditional Razinama to the lands’ (Relinquishment) by farmers or landowners, which is prescribed in Rule 16 of A.P. (Telangana Area) Land Revenue Rules, 1951.
Chief Justice Hima Kohli sought a detailed affidavit from the Collector of Siddipet on a complaint that Revenue authorities have taken over the land of 6.37 acres in Survey number 692 of Duddeda village, Kondapak mandal, Siddipet district (erstwhile Medak District), without issuing any notice to the landowners.
The division bench, comprising the Chief Justice and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy was dealing with an appeal by Balagoni Saikiran and three of his family members, challenging the single-judge order, which had upheld the Revenue authorities stand.
The contention of the appellants was that they had never executed such ‘Razinama’ in the said survey number.
“With fabricated papers, the authorities are saying that we relinquished the land. In fact, we never gave up the properties,” the appellants said.
Their counsel H. Venugopal argued that Rule 16 of 1951 Act was no more prevalent and appellants were not in such an economic position that they would relinquish their rights over the lands. Citing the guidelines prescribed in the Mekala Pandu case, in which the court had clearly mentioned that every assigned land owner should be paid compensation as per the existing Land Acquisition Act, the counsel said that without notices, the land was forcibly taken over from the appellants and handed over to a third party.
The government explained that the said land was given to a third party on the ground of providing alternative land to third party’s land in which double bedroom houses have been built by the government.
Suspecting the contentions of Revenue authorities of taking over the said lands, the court directed the collector to file an affidavit with all relevant documents.
