Telangana HC rejects decision to denotify government land

HYDERABAD: Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court has set aside the Ranga Reddy district revenue officials’ decision to allow land registrations on a portion of the 52-acre tract in Survey No. 63, Guttala Begumpet village, Serilingampally mandal.

The court found that the district’s move to de-notify the land from the list of prohibited properties under Section 22A of the Stamps and Registration Act lacked sufficient legal grounding.

The case has reignited concerns over government oversight on valuable public lands, particularly land previously designated “kancha sarkari” (government land) in the 1950s. The Telangana High Court had previously ordered a status quo in 2018, affirming that any changes to the property’s designation required judicial review.

Justice Lakshman questioned the rationale behind the Ranga Reddy district collector’s decision in August 2022 to de-notify 52 acres within Survey No. 63/2, permitting certain registrations on the land. The decision left the remaining 24 acres still restricted under Section 22A.