HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the Endowments Commissioner to appear in person with all original records of temple lands from 1926 to the present, including every original application and related documents.
Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti expressed displeasure that an earlier order passed on August 11, 2015, which mentioned the filing of OAs before the Endowments department, was not brought to the notice of the present Bench. The court called this lapse “unfortunate”.
The court asked the Commissioner to appear with the complete record on the next hearing date and instructed the registry to send the order through a special messenger to ensure compliance. It also warned that failure to produce the full record would force the court to take further action.
The case has been posted to Thursday (November 27).
The Bench is hearing a batch of writ petitions filed by V Nirmala, Samala Lavanya and others, who are challenging the inclusion of their lands in a memo dated September 25, 2014, issued by the Commissioner and Inspector General of Registrations and Stamps to the Sub-Registrar, Shameerpet. They argue that including their lands in the memo is illegal and violates their fundamental rights, claiming it goes against the Endowments Act and the Registration Act.
They have also challenged the Sub-Registrar of Shameerpet for refusing to register or release their documents based on the memo. The lands in question are located in Dammaryamjal village, Shameerpet mandal.
The petitioners are seeking to strike down the memo as it applies to their lands, declare the sub-registrar’s actions illegal, and direct the authorities to register and release their sale deeds. They have also asked the court to stop officials from interfering with their property rights.
With the court now seeking a full historical record of temple lands spanning nearly a century, the next hearing is expected to be crucial in deciding whether the petitioners’ lands were wrongly brought under control of Endowments authorities.
