SC rejects plea seeking religious structures at Telangana Secretariat

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to the Centre and the Telangana government to reconstruct the religious structures which have been razed during the demolition of the old Secretariat building in Hyderabad.

The Telangana government has decided to demolish the old Secretariat for constructing the new one spread over 25 acres in Hyderabad and in the process, two mosques and a temple have also been razed, the plea said.

“The prayer is misconstrued under Article 32 (under which a plea is directly moved to the apex court for protection of fundamental rights),” said a bench of Justices Ashok Bhshan and R Subhash Reddy in the hearing held through video conferencing.

The top court, which allowed Hyderabad-based lawyer and petitioner Khaja Aijazuddin to withdraw the plea to pursue the remedy in the High Court, refused to direct the



Telangana High Court to decide the case pertaining to demolition of religious strictures expeditiously.

“Petitioner-in-person (Khaja) seeks permission to withdraw the Writ Petition. Permission is granted. Accordingly, the Writ Petition stands dismissed as withdrawn,” the bench said in its order.

The plea had sought a direction for the Centre and the state government “to pass an executive order or resolution in the State Assembly of Telangana State or Parliament … by giving a commitment for rebuilding the Religious Places …, only or at the same places where they stood, and also by terming the demolition … as highly unwarranted, illegal and unconstitutional”.

It said there were ‘Nalla Pochamma Temple’ and two mosques namely “masjid Dafaatir-e-Muatamadi” and ‘masjid-e-Hashmi’ inside the old secretariat building premises which have been demolished.