After 23-year legal battle, Telangana government secures protection for land worth thousands of crores

The Supreme Court dismissed appeals filed by private individuals claiming rights over more than 550 acres of government land in Miyapur village of Serilingampally mandal in Rangareddy district, bringing an end to a legal battle that had been pending for nearly 23 years.

According to government sources, a Bench comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed the appeals, including Civil Appeal No. 10699 of 2013, relating to land in Survey Nos. 100 and 101. The verdict provides legal protection to government land estimated to be worth thousands of crores of rupees.

According to the State government, the disputed land comprises 277 acres and five guntas in Survey No. 100 and 273 acres and 34 guntas in Survey No. 101. The land has been recorded as government property in revenue records.

Private individuals had challenged the government’s ownership claims before the courts. The special court ruled in favour of the government in 1997, followed by the High Court in 2003. The private claimants subsequently approached the Supreme Court, where the appeals remained pending for more than two decades.

The government said that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had taken a special interest in securing the protection of valuable government lands after the Congress government assumed office. He directed officials to expedite legal proceedings and strengthen coordination between the government machinery and legal experts to pursue the cases effectively before the Supreme Court.

Senior advocate Vaidyanathan represented the State government before the apex court. The government relied on historical revenue records, including the Sethwar and Khasra registers, along with earlier judicial orders, to establish its claim over the land.

The State also referred to findings in previous proceedings concerning alleged irregularities in revenue entries relied upon by the private claimants.