Land regularisation: Telangana High Court stays clearing of over 6 lakh applications

Hyderabad: The High Court bench headed by Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy on Wednesday heard a plea filed by Shinde Devidas from Nirmal district, who alleged that the Government Order No 112/12-10-2020 issued by the State government in respect of regularising the unregistered sale transactions under Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Passbooks Act, 1971 as illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional. Further, the petitioner demanded to declare the proceedings, if any, issued by Tahsildars in the State regularising the unregistered sale transactions in pursuance to GO Ms No.112/12-10-2020 as null and void.

Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad informed the court that under earlier GO dated 12-10-2020, the applications received were 2,26,293 and after 29-10-2020, the government was pleased to extend the time to 10-11-2020 and about 6,74,201 applications were received taking the total number of applications to 9,00,494.

Chief Justice RS Chauhan sought to know how the State government would deal with 6,74,201 applications when the law no longer exists as of 29-10-2020. Since the State government extending the time and receiving 6,74,201 applications, it devours the law. The government can deal with 2,26,293 lakh applications as the law exists then, but it can't deal with 6,74,201 applications that were received when the law no longer exists, the CJ noted.

"It will not only open up a Pandora Box, rather it will open up a Pandora Valley. You cannot be permitted to process the 6,74,201 applications which are received after 29-10-2020. This court has been keeping on emphasising that it is not the policy of the government which matters, but the policy has to be in compliance with the law," the CJ said.

Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad sought two weeks' time to file the counter justifying government's action, for which the court has posted the matter after two weeks.