Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court conducted a hearing on Thursday regarding the controversial issue of land allotment by the Telangana government to Velma and Kamma community organizations. The matter was brought before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Kakatiya University professor Venkat Reddy.
In 2021, the Telangana government allocated 5 acres of land to Kamma and Velma community organizations in the Khanammet area. The petitioner challenged this land allotment, prompting the Chief Justice to express surprise over the allocation of land based on different caste groups. He pointed out that such allotments violate Article 14 of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination.
The Chief Justice further commented that this policy of allocating land on the basis of caste could potentially lead to a divisive society, which is contradictory to the ideals of the 21st century and a technologically advanced state like Telangana. The court firmly opposed the allotment of land based on caste and emphasized that constitutional provisions exist for the allocation of land to SC/ST communities.
During the proceedings, the high court also scrutinized the land allocation to the Jeeyar Integrated Vedic Academy of Sharada Peetham. A resident of Secunderabad filed a petition against the allocation, claiming that land worth crores of rupees was granted at a mere Re 1 per acre. Advocate General B S Prasad defended the land allotment in court. The court issued notices to the Jeeyar Academy which belongs to a Hindu religious leader, scheduling the hearing for July 24, while the Jeeyar academy allotment case was set for August 18.
In addition, a petition challenging the allocation of 5 acres of land for Reddy’s College Hostel was accepted for hearing. A notice has been issued regarding this matter, and the next hearing is scheduled for June 23.
The Telangana High Court is taking these cases seriously and will thoroughly examine the legality and fairness of the land allotments in question.
