The Telangana High Court has dismissed a petition filed by encroachers who had created fake land records. The court stated that the 181 acres of land in Shamshabad belongs to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). The Division Bench of the High Court, consisting of Chief Justice NV Shravan Kumar, reserved the case for orders and pronounced the judgment on Thursday.
The court observed that the petitioner did not approach the court with clean hands and therefore, the court was not willing to use its extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution. As a result, the writ petition was dismissed.
According to officials, the 181 acres of land in Shamshabad was acquired by the HMDA for a Truck Terminal cum Wholesale market. Possession of the land was taken in April 1990, and the land has been in peaceful possession of the HMDA since then. The owners were paid enhanced compensation as per the directions of the Supreme Court in 2011. The present value of the land is approximately Rs 50 crores per acre.
Officials discovered that encroachers were relying on fake court orders and tampered documents to establish their claim. The High Court and the Collector were informed about this, and the Division Bench took serious action when it was revealed that forged and fabricated documents had been filed by the petitioner. The court directed the Registry to file a report on the court orders relied upon by the petitioner. The court also warned that filing fabricated documents would be considered a serious offense and could result in imprisonment.
