HYDERABAD: In a relief to the Telangana government, a division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL filed challenging the action of the state government in seeking sale of prime lands in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts.
The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice S Ravi Kumar was dismissing the PIL filed by the Forum for a Better Hyderabad, represented by its secretary OM Debara, which informed the court that the Telangana government has issued a GO on October 9, 2015, designating the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) as the auctioning agency to auction the government land parcels. The petitioner also challenged the notification of the TSIIC for the sale of land parcels.
The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the undivided state government had issued a GO in the year 2012 prohibiting sale of government lands for revenue generation. This GO was adapted by the Telangana government in May 2015. However, without any application of mind, without any verifiable transparent data and decision making process, the state government had declared that it would sell various parcels of lands as they cannot be used for public purpose. In fact, the policy of 2012 has not been changed and though the Government has the power to take its own policy, it cannot be done in an unreasonable and irrational method. The action of the government was in contrary to the Land allotment policy of the government, in violation of Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution, he contended. The bench then asked the state government whether they had taken any decision to relax or change the 2012 policy.
In reply, Telangana advocate general K Ramkrishna Reddy produced a copy of the GO Ms No.82 wherein it was stated that the conditions of 2012 policy are being relaxed to facilitate the government to sell the government lands. In fact, the government has executive powers to sell its lands, he argued.
After hearing both the sides, the bench dismissed the PIL saying that the rules give discretionary powers to the government and no grounds were made out for the court to interfere.