HYDERABAD: The state government has told the Telangana High Court that 1,521.13 acres of land in Devarayamjal village, Shamirpet mandal, Medchal-Malkajgiri district, belongs to Sri Seetharama Swamy Temple.
The government on Tuesday said the land had been illegally encroached upon by private individuals in collusion with revenue officials, who managed to get their names entered in revenue records. It argued that the inclusion of the lands in the prohibited property list was justified.
The disputed land falls under Survey Nos. 688 to 712 and 716. Nearly 300 petitions were filed challenging the CCLA’s 2014 proceedings that placed the lands on the prohibited list. A batch of these petitions came up for hearing before Justice Jukanti Anil Kumar on Tuesday.
Arguing for the government, counsel Katram Muralidhar Reddy submitted that records from the 1925–26 pahani showed the land in the name of Sri Seetharama Swamy Temple, with Ramudi Pullayya as trustee. Over time, the management changed hands. In the 1354 Fasli (1944) Sethwar, the land was recorded as government property, but by 1954-55 it was wrongly shown as patta land.
He contended that the petitioners, who now claim ownership, failed to produce any valid Record of Rights (ROR) proceedings or patta passbooks to prove their rights. Instead, they misinterpreted records and even formed an association, submitting a petition to the government. Following an inquiry, the CCLA confirmed that over 1,400 acres belonged to the temple.
Citing Supreme Court rulings, Muralidhar Reddy argued that mere entries in revenue records cannot confer ownership (Union government vs Vasavi Housing Society Ltd.) and that trustees or managers have no authority to alienate temple lands (Sri Ganapathi Dev Temple Trust vs Balakrishna Bhat).
Supporting the state, Endowments department counsel Bukkya Mangi Lal Naik said that after trustee Pullayya, his son Ramachandraiah’s name appeared in records, followed by private individuals. He argued that when remedies are available under revenue and endowments laws, petitioners cannot directly move the high court.
After hearing the submissions, the court granted time for the petitioners’ reply and adjourned the matter.
State cites 1925 records
Records from 1925–26 showed the land in the name of Sri Seetharama Swamy Temple, with Ramudi Pullayya as trustee. Over time, trusteeship and management changed hands. In the 1944, the land was recorded as government property, but by 1954–55, it was wrongly shown as patta land