All constructions undertaken on the lands allotted by the State government to Jeeyar Integrated Vedic Academy, All India Velama Association, Kammavari Seva Sanghala Samakhya, Sri Sharada Petham-Visakhapatnam and film director N. Shankar would be subject to the outcome of the PIL petitions connected to them, the Telangana High Court said on Wednesday.
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy made this clear while hearing different pleas challenging the justification in allotment of government lands to these entities and an individual.
The bench declined to pass a direction staying the constructions on these lands ‘worth crores of rupees’ as sought by senior counsel Satyam Reddy appearing for all the petitioners.
Senior counsel contended that State government was the custodian of lands spread over different parts of the land. These lands belonged to people and the government cannot alienate such valuable properties worth crores of rupees at its whims and fancies to others.
He contended that the land of five acres allotted to Velama Association and Kamma Sangham at Khanammet in Ranga Reddy district was worth hundreds of crores of rupees. These two were among the richest communities in the State. A person belonging to one of the communities was ruling the State.
Instead of allocating these lands to caste associations, it would have been a better option to use the property for the developing infrastructure for education sector, the senior lawyer said.
Mr. Satyam Reddy said the land to Vedic academy at Yadadri and Sharada Peetham at Kokapet was allotted at the price of one rupee per acre while their market value was worth crores of rupees. The allotment of land to film director Shankar at Mokhila village in Ranga Reddy district at the rate of five lakh rupees per acre was a loss to State ex-chequer, he said.
Posting the hearing to January 3, 2022, the bench instructed the State government to file counter affidavits in all the four pleas.
Published - November 17, 2021 10:15 pm IST
