VIJAYAWADA: The AP High Court on Wednesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Tirukshetrala Rakshana Samiti, challenging the exchange of land between the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and the Tourism Department, and the subsequent allocation of the land to Swara Hotels Limited, part of the Oberoi Group.
Senior counsel KS Murthy, appearing for the petitioner, argued that TTD’s high-value land in Peruru village of Tirupati mandal was exchanged for lower-value land belonging to the Tourism Department, which was unjustified. He said TTD had stated that the land obtained through exchange would be used for pilgrim infrastructure, but later shifted it to another location. He alleged that the Tourism department allotted the exchanged land to Swara Hotels for construction, resulting in no benefit to TTD.
Responding to the allegations, Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas, appearing for the State government and TTD, told the court that the exchanged lands lay on either side of the road and that while registration values differed, the actual market value was the same. He said the land was allotted to Swara Hotels for infrastructure development and argued the exchange could not be invalidated later. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur dismissed the PIL.