Telangana high court
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday, April 13, ruled that admissions into the Barrister Fatima Owaisi Educational Campus (KG–PG) for the academic year 2026–27 will be subject to the outcome of a pending writ petition concerning alleged illegal constructions within the Full Tank Level (FTL) of Salkam Cheruvu.
The campus is run by the Salar-e-Millat Educational Trust, chaired by AIMIM Assembly floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi.
Justice NV Shravan Kumar observed that students and their parents must take an informed decision before seeking admission into the institution. The court made it clear that those enrolling would be doing so at their own risk and would not be entitled to claim any rights if adverse orders are passed later in the case.
It also directed the college management to display details of the pending writ petition prominently on its notice boards so that students are fully aware of the situation before taking admission.
The court noted that the academic year is scheduled to begin in June and cautioned that its eventual ruling could directly affect students studying in structures allegedly built within the lake area.
During the hearing, the court expressed concern over the delay in issuing the final FTL notification for Salkam Cheruvu. Justice Shravan Kumar questioned why authorities had taken nearly a decade to finalise the notification when a preliminary notification had already been issued in 2016.
The court directed revenue and irrigation officials to complete the process and issue the final notification within two weeks.
It also sought clarification from authorities on whether agencies such as HMDA and GHMC were aware of the lake’s FTL limits before granting permissions for the constructions.
The writ petition was filed by advocate Vijay Gopal, who alleged that illegal constructions had been carried out within the FTL and buffer zone of Salkam Cheruvu, identified as HMDA Lake ID: 4001/1 in Bandlaguda Kalsa.
He told the court that despite submitting multiple complaints between August and September 2024 through online platforms and written representations, HYDRAA had failed to take action.
The petitioner further argued that while authorities had acted against other encroachments based on public complaints, they had not taken similar action in this case involving the educational institution.
Taking note of the allegations and available satellite evidence indicating possible encroachments, the High Court issued notices to the educational institution, HYDRAA, HMDA, GHMC, and the state government, including the education department, seeking their responses.
The court also restrained any further construction activity in the Salkam Cheruvu area and directed authorities to identify unauthorised structures and submit a report within two weeks.
Emphasising the environmental implications, the petitioner urged that academic activities be halted from the upcoming academic year to prevent hardship to students and avoid further damage to the lake.
The matter has been adjourned to April 30 for further hearing.
This post was last modified on April 14, 2026 8:05 am