In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of India has put an end to a contentious dispute over prime land on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The apex court has upheld a decision by the Telangana High Court, effectively confirming the ownership rights of several serving and retired senior bureaucrats over the contested property.
Supreme Court's Final Verdict
A bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma, delivered the final verdict on Tuesday. The bench dismissed the special leave petitions (SLPs) that were filed challenging the Telangana High Court's order. The Supreme Court explicitly stated that it "does not find any ground to interfere with the order passed by the (Telangana) high court." Consequently, the SLPs were dismissed at the admission stage itself, without being admitted for a detailed hearing.
This dismissal by the top court brings finality to the legal battle, confirming the relief earlier granted to the group of officers. The court, after hearing arguments and examining records, concluded that the petitions did not raise any substantial legal issue that warranted further consideration by the Supreme Court.
Background of the Land Dispute
The core of the dispute revolves around prime land located in Nagaram village of Maheswaram mandal, Rangareddy district. This land, situated on the fringes of Hyderabad, is alleged to be part of the disputed Bhoodan lands. The ownership of this valuable property is held by several serving and retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The legal journey began with a petition filed by an individual named Birla Mallesh. In October of this year, a single judge of the Telangana High Court had directed that the lands owned by these officers be included in the "prohibited lands list." This order was a setback for the bureaucrats.
High Court's Division Bench Intervention
Challenging the single judge's order, the officers approached a division bench of the Telangana High Court. On October 31, the division bench intervened and stayed the directions issued by the single judge. This stay order provided immediate relief to the officers, allowing them to retain their claim over the land.
Aggrieved by this turn of events, Birla Mallesh moved the Supreme Court. In his appeal, Mallesh alleged irregularities in the land purchase transactions involving the officers. He contended that the High Court's division bench had failed to properly consider the facts of the case before granting relief to the officials.
However, the Supreme Court, after its review, found no merit in these contentions. The dismissal of the petitions effectively upholds the division bench order of the Telangana High Court from October 31. With this, the ownership of the contentious land in Nagaram village stands legally confirmed in favour of the serving and retired IAS and IPS officers, bringing a conclusive end to this high-profile dispute.
