HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court comprising Chief Justice Anil R Dave and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan issued an interim order on Monday restraining owners of Padmalaya Studios from taking up permanent construction work on the land belonging to the studio.
The bench was dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Harish Rao in 2008.
He made the Chief Minister, the General Administration Department and actor Krishna as parties to the suit. The bench found fault with the owners of the studio for using the land for purposes other than those for which the government had allotted it to them.
In 1982, the State Government had allotted 50 acres to the AP Film Development Corporation of which 9.45 acres had been alienated in favour of Padmalaya Studios at the rate of Rs 1.50 per square yard. The petitioner submitted to the court that of the 9.5 acres, four acres was allotted to Zee Telefilms and four acres was sold away.
The remaining 1.5 acres was transferred in the name of Krishna and his family.
The petitioners submitted to the court that Krishna had signed an agreement with a developer for construction of permanent structures on the land.
