HYDERABAD: Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court on Friday expressed strong displeasure over the actions of HYDRAA and the tahsildar of Ameenpur mandal in Sangareddy district of demolishing a building allegedly without following due process of law.
The court ordered HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath and the tahsildar to appear either physically or virtually on September 30 and explain why their action of the demolition should not be considered a violation of the court’s interim orders.
The court was hearing a writ petition filed by M/s Ganesh Constructions, represented by its proprietor N Venkata Reddy, challenging the demolition of his building located at Sri Krishna Nagar, Kistareddypet village of Ameenpur mandal. Venkata Reddy claimed that he purchased the plot from one Mohammed Rafi who had obtained a valid building permit on November 10, 2022, from the erstwhile gram panchayat. The construction was completed within the permitted two-year period and there were no violations of the building regulations, the petitioner claimed.
He claimed that despite prior court orders directing the authorities not to interfere without following due legal process, the respondents, led by the tahsildar, served a speaking order on September 21, 2024 and the next day, demolished the entire structure, reportedly throwing out the petitioner’s belongings. Counsel for the petitioner, G Narender Reddy, submitted photos as evidence of the demolition, asserting that it blatantly disregarded the court’s previous orders.
K Ravinder Reddy, standing counsel for HYDRAA, admitted that the agency had provided the manpower and machinery for the demolition on a request from the tahsildar on September 21. He argued that HYDRAA was merely a nodal agency responsible for coordinating the removal of unauthorised structures, as outlined in GO 99, dated July 19, 2024.
The court, noting that the demolition was carried out despite a subsisting interim order and pending litigation, found the actions of the respondents to be in violation of its directives and directed the officials to appear before it and justify their actions.