A division bench of the High Court, while expressing concern over an attempt made by former chairman of the Tadipatri municipality to sell away 25 acres of land belonging to the municipality to private persons, has summoned the municipal commissioner for explanation.
The bench, comprising acting chief justice NV Ramana and justice Vilas V Afzulpurkar, was, on Monday, hearing a public interest petition filed by TDP leader V Murali Prasad Reddy, seeking declaration of the alienation of a 25.09-acre land at Sajjaladinne in Tadipatri revenue division by the former municipal chairman in favour of Tasaab Haji Basha and M Chandra Sekhar Rao as illegal.
The petitioner’s counsel said that some private parties had gifted 48 acres of land to the municipality in 2006. The 25-acre alienated by the municipality through an agreement of sale cum general power of attorney in 2010 was part of that land. After expiry of term of the council, the chairman cancelled the alienation in his individual capacity.
The former chairman, in his counter affidavit said that the petition was politically motivated.
When justice Ramana asked how the chairman could alienate a property belonging to the municipality in the absence of a resolution by the council, the petitioner’s counsel said the commissioner was the competent authority to deal with the properties of the municipality and not the chairman. The judge then wanted to know the action taken by the commissioner.
The counsel replied that as per direction of the director of the municipal administration and urban development department, the commissioner lodged a complaint with the district police superintendent against the former chairman.
The acting chief justice wondered why the commissioner waited for a direction from the MAUD even while knowing that some misdeed had taken place and why he preferred to lodge a complaint with the SP instead of with the police station concerned.