HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court ruled in favour of actor Daggubati Venkatesh, his family, and related entities — Suresh Productions Pvt Ltd and Daggubati Farms Estates Pvt Ltd, by quashing a declaration issued under Section 6(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.
The court’s decision stemmed from a writ petition filed by the petitioners who claimed ownership of 26 acres of land in Serilingampally mandal. This land, along with others, was chosen for an IT park, leading to proceedings under the Land Acquisition Act.
A notification initiating the acquisition process was issued on March 10, 2005, with objections to the proposed acquisition invited until April 4, 2005. Subsequently, a special deputy collector conducted an inquiry as mandated under Section 5(A) of the Act, culminating in the submission of an inquiry report to the collector for approval. However, the petitioners were not provided with a copy of this inquiry report.
The court, upon examining records and arguments presented, concluded that procedural lapses marred the issuance of the declaration under Section 6 (1) of the Act. Specifically, the failure to provide the petitioners with a copy of the inquiry report
While the declaration under Section 6(1) of the Act dated April 16, 2005, pertaining to the land of the petitioners, has been quashed, the high court clarified that it did not delve into the validity of the notification under Section 4(1) of the Act. Consequently, the respondents are free to pursue the matter in accordance with the law.