A division bench of the High Court directed the state government on Tuesday to file an affidavit explaining the basis for allotment of lands to political parties.
It impleaded the political parties which got land from the government as respondents to the petition and issued notices to them.
The bench, comprising chief justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and justice PV Sanjay Kumar, was dealing with a petition filed by V Gopi Krishna of Nellore district challenging a GO issued in 2009 to alienate a piece of land (admeasuring 0.97 cents) to the District Congress Committee (DCC) to construct its party office at East Gudur village in Gudur mandal in Nellore district.
Complying with an earlier direction from the court, principal secretary BR Meena appeared in the court on Tuesday and submitted the details of alienation of lands to political parties in the districts and the state capital.
According to the details, the government has allotted lands to the Congress, BJP, TDP, CPI-M, TRS, CPI, CPI-ML (New Democracy) and Visalaandhra Vignana Samithi at 16 places in the state.
The government has alienated most of the lands at Rs 100 per square yard to the TRS at Road No 12, Banjara Hills in the city and to other parties in other parts.
It was brought to the notice of the court that the land was given on lease to the TDP and BJP for a 30-year period and in the remaining cases land was alienated at concession.
After perusing the details, the chief justice wondered how the government could allot lands at Rs 100 per square yard in areas like Banjara Hills of the city. He remarked that the government could have earned a good revenue had those lands been auctioned.
While dispensing with the presence of the principal secretary, the bench directed the government to file an affidavit within a week explaining the basis for the allotments and also on which recommendation the lands were allotted to political parties.
The bench directed the registry to implead the political parties as respondents to the petition and issue notices to them to file their counter affidavits within a week.