HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has expressed reservations over a plea by IDBI Bank seeking removal of graves and relocation of buried bodies from land in Nadergul, observing that the rights of the deceased and the sentiments of their families cannot be ignored.
Justice B Vijaysen Reddy was hearing two writ petitions filed by IDBI Bank Limited alleging inaction by officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), including the commissioner, zonal commissioner, Shamshabad zone, and deputy commissioner, Badangpet circle.
The bank sought a declaration that the authorities’ failure to remove burials and graves from 2,100 sq yd in Survey No. 48 of Nadergul, Badangpet Municipality, Balapur Mandal, Rangareddy district, was illegal, arbitrary and contrary to Section 566 of the GHMC Act.
It also sought removal of graves from about 1,500 sq yd by exhuming the bodies and relocating them to designated burial grounds.
During the hearing, Justice Reddy questioned how such directions could be granted, observing that even the dead have certain rights and that societal and religious sentiments attached to burial sites must be respected.
The court observed that the matter involved sensitive issues extending beyond property and administrative concerns and required careful consideration before any orders could be passed.
The court directed counsel for the respondents to obtain instructions and adjourned the matter to July 1, 2026.