Kancha Gachibowli lands: HC adjourns hearing to April 7
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday postponed hearing on the Kancha Gachibowli land issue. The division bench of Acting CJ Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara heard the PILs filed by the Vata Foundation and Hyderabad Central University (HCU) students on the land.
Advocate-General A Sudarshan Reddy sought time to file a counter. On AG’s request, the court adjourned the hearing to April 7. Until then an interim order was issued to not carry out any work on the land.
On Wednesday the bench had directed the government to stop cutting trees, removing shrubs and clearing entire 400 acres and uprooting huge rocks by using JCBs. It adjourned the two PILs seeking a direction to stay GO 54 alienating the land to TGIIC.
S Niranjan Reddy, senior counsel and YSRCP MP, while advancing his arguments in the PIL 27/2025 filed by the foundation seeking a stay on GO dated June 26, 2024, informed the court that 400 acres located in survey no. 25 at Kancha Gachibowli is “forest land” and that the government resorted to destruction and devastation of flora and fauna from the land by pressing 30-40 JCBs into service uprooting trees, boulders, rocks, plants, saplings in sheer violation of the Supreme Court judgment.
He averred that the court should immediately stay the GO and direct the government to stop destruction on the land, failing which the flora and fauna will be wiped out. Any court order in favour of the petitioners will be of no use because the destruction will not be restored.
Refuting the contention of counsels for petitioners, the AG informed the court that there is no mention of the land as “forest land” either in Revenue or Forest records. ‘It is purely industrial land. The then united AP government in 2003 allocated the land to IMG Academies Bharata Pvt Ltd developing sports facilities. However, the allotment was cancelled in 2006 by an ordinance and later by a law as the government felt such a decision was against public policy because a huge parcel of 850 acres (400 acres is a part of it) was allocated to IMG Academies Bharata Pvt Ltd at a throw away price i.e., Rs. 50,000/ acre.
The cancellation was challenged in the HC which was dismissed. The order was challenged in the Supreme Court, which upheld the HC order, thereby restoring 850 acres in favour of the Telangana government.
Acting CJ Sujoy Paul queried AG “has the HC or SC described the character of the lands… whether the courts have spelled out nature and character of lands” as AG contended 850 acres as industrial land and not “forest land” as contended by the petitioners. The AG, while responding to observation of ACJ, said as the land was allocated to various organisations, for development of industrial activities, it is characterised as “industrial land” only.
The AG vehemently informed that except Google images furnished by petitioners, which say 400 acres is forest land; there is no other contention. Except for peacocks, snakes and mongoose, there are no other wild animals on the land. Anywhere in Hyderabad we can find these animals.
Hearing in the case was adjourned until April 7.
