Telangana High Court summons Hyderabad Collector, GHMC chief

In a contempt of court case, a bench of the Telangana High Court issued summons to Hyderabad Collector Amoy Kumar, Special Deputy Collector of Land Acquisition Venkateswhwarlu and GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar,  and adjourned the matter until March 7.

In 2001, Mahesh Mohan Lal and five others filed a writ petition seeking compensation for their 10-acre land in Sy.Nos. 58, 59, and 60 of old Yosufguda village, Bapunagar, claiming that their father, Rai Chander Mohan Lal, who died on December 2, in 1995, was the owner (pattedar) of the property.

The respondents issued a notification in the gazette on September 10, 1987, under Section 3(1) of the AP Slum Improvement (Acquisition of Lands) Act, proclaiming the land as a slum. This was followed by a notice requiring the landowner to show reason why it should not be acquired. The objections made on behalf of the petitioners’ father



under Section 3 of the Act were published in the Gazette on February 21, 1988. As a result, the land was given to the government. The petitioners claimed that despite the passage of decades, they did not receive compensation under the Act.

After carefully considering all facts of the case, the single judge granted compensation to the writ petition in an order dated January 6, 2004. The Collector of Hyderabad District, and the Special Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition, Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad chose to  go in appeal against the order.

The court said the officials were public servants having a legal obligation to behave in conformity with the law.  The division bench not only dismissed the writ appeal on July 13, 2022, but also orders the appellants to comply with the single judge’s ruling of January 6, 2002, within four weeks of receipt of a copy of this order.