HYDERABAD: A group of senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including Ravi Gupta, Tarun Joshi, Renu Goyal, BK Rahul Hegde, Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, Sowmya Mishra and Swathi Lakra, as well as Rekha Sharaf, the wife of Umesh Sharaf, have filed three writ appeals before the Telangana High Court challenging the April 24, 2025, order by a single judge.
The single judge, hearing a writ petition filed by one Birla Mahesh, had ordered status quo on all land transactions pertaining to Survey Nos. 181, 182, 194 and 195 of Nagaram village in Maheshwaram mandal, Rangareddy district. Mahesh had alleged large-scale fraudulent activity, including forgery of documents, manipulation of official records and illegal transfer of over 26 acres of government and Bhoodan land.
The petitioner also claimed that these acts were carried out with the alleged involvement of high-ranking IAS and IPS officers in collusion with local revenue and registration officials.
Challenging the order, the appellants contended that the single judge’s directive was passed without issuing any notice to them or other affected landowners, thereby violating the principles of natural justice.
They argued that no grounds were made out for an ex-parte order of such sweeping nature, particularly when the main relief sought in the writ petition was limited to the non-consideration of representations dated February 19 and March 10, 2025, and an interim direction to submit progress reports on the ongoing investigation.
The officers further asserted that the observations made by the court regarding fraudulent activity, at such a preliminary stage and without hearing the respondents, had caused irreversible damage to their rights and had led to serious prejudice.
According to them, the single judge’s order extended far beyond the scope of the original writ petition and amounted to adjudicating a private grievance disguised as a public interest issue under Article 226 of the Constitution.
In their plea, the appellants requested the bench to set aside the stay order in respect of the land situated in Nagaram village and to pass any other appropriate orders deemed fit under the circumstances.
ED seizes documents in Bhoodan land case
Hyderabad: The Directorate of Enforcement on Tuesday revealed that it has seized incriminating documents related to the fraudulent sale and purchase of government and Bhoodan land, Rs 23 lakh in Indian currency and 12,000 UAE Dirhams