HYDERABAD: In a significant judicial milestone, Justice NV Sravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court disposed of a total of 185 writ petitions on Thursday, with 179 of these cases addressing similar legal issues.
The cases involved various legal disputes, many of which were related to property registration issues and other administrative matters.
The disposal of such a large number of petitions in a single day reflected the court’s commitment to reducing case backlogs and delivering justice promptly. Legal experts praised Justice Kumar, noting that the swift handling of similar cases helps streamline the judicial process and provides clarity on important legal precedents.
State plea against order on ceiling rejected
A bench of the Telangana High Court on Thursday dismissed a writ appeal filed by the state administration, including the Revenue department, and upheld the orders of a single judge regarding a property dispute under the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Act.
The case centred around a property purchased by the petitioners through an auction conducted by the Company Court on February 12, 2004. The single judge had ruled that the petitioners were bona fide purchasers who had acquired the property before any declaration was filed under the ULC Act by the original declarant, M Vittalaiah, on November 11, 2004. The single judge also noted that the proceedings under the ULC Act had been initiated and orders were passed without notifying the petitioners, which violated the principles of natural justice.
Appealing against the orders, the state appeal contended that the subject property was impacted by the provisions of the ULC Act, rendering the sale deed void. The government pleader argued that the petitioners failed to challenge earlier ULC proceedings, which had become final, and that possession of the property was taken by the authorities in March 2008. However, the bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao, found no merit in these arguments.
HC upholds interim orders on plot registration
The Telangana High Court on Thursday disposed of a writ petition filed by Arvind Jasti, who challenged the refusal by the sub-registrar of Bowenpally in Hyderabad, to register a plot of land he purchased in Mahendra Hills, Secunderabad.
The petitioner had moved court after the sub-registrar refused to registered the property — bearing No. 85, measuring 238.76 sq yd in Survey No. 74/4, Vyjanthi Cooperative Housing Society Ltd — because the land was claimed by the government in a long-standing legal dispute, LGC No. 167 of 1997. Despite the government’s claim, the special court dismissed the case on March 18, 2010. The government subsequently filed a writ petition, which is currently pending orders before a bench of the high court.
On September 6, 2013, the high court had issued an interim direction allowing the registration of the subject property, stating that the registration should proceed without reference to the government’s claim, pending the outcome of the ongoing writ petition. Consequently, the subject property was registered.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner argued that since the document had been registered following the court’s interim direction, the current writ petition no longer required further adjudication.
Assistant Government Pleader for Stamps and Registration, H Rakesh Kumar, concurred, noting that similar cases were pending and that the outcome of the pending writ petition before the bench would determine the final resolution.