HYDERABAD: Warning both parties that any attempt to mislead the court would be viewed very seriously, a bench of the Telangana High Court on Thursday directed the petitioner and authorities concerned to file affidavits giving their respective stands on a report submitted by the Lake Protection Committee (LPC) in connection with encroachments on the buffer zone of Rammamma Kunta.
The bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sreenivas Rao was hearing a PIL filed by the Human Rights and Consumer Protection Cell Trust, represented by its member and SPA holder Thakur Indraja Singh, seeking the removal of encroachments by the National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITAHM) on the FTL of Rammamma Kunta.
The issue was first raised after a previous order from the court, dated July 27, 2023, directing the Lake Protection Committee to submit a report on the buffer zones of all water bodies within the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) limits.
In response, Sarfaraz Ahmed, the HMDA commissioner, appeared before the court on July 24, 2023, and informed that there were a total of 3,532 lakes/water bodies within HMDA limits. He reported that final notifications had been issued for 230 lakes, while preliminary notifications had been issued for 2,525 lakes. The HMDA commissioner assured the court that final notifications for the remaining lakes would be issued within three months.
However, the petitioner disputed the claims made in the report filed by the Lake Protection Committee and HMDA, arguing that the encroachment on Rammamma Kunta by NITAHM has not been fully removed. Counsel for the state government, on the other hand, submitted that the encroachment had been identified and removed.
As the dispute continued, the court granted the petitioner two weeks to file an affidavit supporting his claims, while the government pleader was also directed to file an affidavit in support of the report’s findings. The next hearing has been scheduled for two weeks, and the registry has been directed to list the PIL for further proceedings.
Complaint against Amoy Kumar, Telangana HC stays succession order
Taking note of allegations raised by the petitioner against IAS officer D Amoy Kumar and a DRO, Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy of the Telangana High Court ordered an interim suspension of the succession granted in favour of Khader Unissa Begum for a 10.5-acre plot of land in Sy. No. 182, Nagaram village in Rangareddy.
The judge was hearing a petition filed by Nawab Farooq Ali Khan, a co-sharer of the land, challenging the action of the Principal Secretary (Revenue). Khan sought an inquiry and action against Amoy Kumar, presently joint secretary in the Animal Husbandry department, and RP Jyoti, the DRO of Shadnagar, accusing them of issuing fraudulent orders that granted succession rights to Khader Unissa Begum.
Khan contended that the officers acted improperly by issuing pattadar passbooks and other records of rights to Khader Unissa Begum and her associate Munawar Khan, despite ongoing legal proceedings regarding the land. Ordering the suspension of the succession order, Justice Reddy adjourned the matter to November 28.