Telangana HC stays land acquisition for industrial park in Lagcherla
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has temporarily stayed the state government’s land acquisition process in Lagcherla and Hakimpet villages of Dudyala mandal, Vikarabad district, and directed the government to justify the “urgency” cited for acquiring land to establish a multipurpose industrial park. The court issued notices to the state, demanding a detailed counter-affidavit explaining the rationale behind the accelerated acquisition process.
The interim order comes amid protests by local farmers and residents, who allege there is a lack of transparency in the project’s planning and compensation process. During the hearing on Thursday, the bench questioned the government’s urgency and adjourned the case to April 21 for further proceedings. Until further orders, the court has barred authorities from proceeding with any land acquisition activities in the two villages.
The state government had previously withdrawn its decision to establish ‘pharma villages’ in Lagcherla in November 2024, leading to the cancellation of a preliminary notification for acquiring 1,358 acres across Lagcherla, Hakimpet and Polepalli. However, it later decided to set up a multipurpose industrial park instead.
On November 29, 2024, a fresh preliminary notification was issued to acquire 1,177.35 acres in Lagcherla, Hakimpet, Polepalli, Rotibandathanda, and Pulicherlakunta mandals. Of this, 534 acres belong to the government, while the remaining 643 acres are patta land. The proposed acquisition includes 110.32 acres in Lagcherla and 351.10 acres in Hakimpet.
Challenging the notification, Gopal Nayak of Lagcherla and 14 others, and K Shivakumar of Hakimpet filed petitions arguing that the inclusion of Sections 10A and 40 of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, violated their rights. These sections allow direct land acquisition without consulting the public or farmers or conducting gram sabhas. The petitioners contended that the notification lacked justification for urgency and infringed upon their constitutional rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21.
During the hearing, former advocate general BS Prasad and senior advocate V Raghunath represented the petitioners, while Special Government Pleader Rahul Reddy appeared for the state. After reviewing the arguments, Justice K Srinivas Rao issued an interim stay on land acquisition in Lagcherla and Hakimpet. The Special GP has been directed to file a counter affidavit, and the next hearing is scheduled for April 21.