HYDERABAD: The Telangana government filed an appeal before the Hyderabad High Court challenging an order of a single judge staying the proposed ‘Twin Towers’ world class command and control centre for the state police at Road No 12 in Banjara Hills here.
The state has allotted eight acres of land for construction of twin towers and also for the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate on Road No 12, Banjara Hills.
In January, Mir Afsar Ali and 16 others approached the High Court claiming that they are enjoying five acres of land out of the eight acres allocated to the Command Centre. They challenged the action of the revenue secretary in rejecting their application dated April 30, 2007 for regularisation of their five acres land.
While seeking to stop construction of twin towers, the petitioners urged the court to declare the constructions of high-rise complex being undertaken by the respondent authorities in their land as arbitrary, illegal and also in violation of the orders passed by the High Court in 2001 and 2009.
After hearing the petitioners and perusing the rejection order passed by the principal secretary for regularisation of land in favour of the petitioners, the single judge granted stay by pointing out that “since the impugned order is bereft of reasons and is very cryptic, there shall be interim direction as prayed for, for a period of four weeks.”
While issuing notices to the respondents, the judge posted the case after two weeks.
Aggrieved with the single judge order which was passed recently, the state government filed an appeal contending that the petitioners had no valid title over the land and they applied for regularisation of land on their names claiming that the land is in their possession. Citing the Supreme Court judgments, the government submitted that applying for regularization is nothing but admitting that the title of the land rested with the government. The government further submitted that the principal secretary is an administrative authority and he has no quasi-judicial powers to decide the title.