Records Of Land Worth Rs 300 Crore Go Missing In Telangana, Courts Orders Probe

Justice A Ramalingeswara Rao of the Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday directed the Ranga Reddy district collector to probe missing land records pertaining to a parcel of land worth Rs 300 crore, in Bachupally of Qutbullapur mandal.

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The judge was dealing with petitions filed by H Malleswara Rao and scores of others who questioned the action of the state in laying claim over their land. The state claimed that it was assigned land and hence it resumed it from the original assignees, but its counsel said the assignment record was missing from the office of the deputy collector and mandal revenue officer.

The land, in question, is spread over 32 acres in Bachu pally in survey numbers 51 and 52. G Punna Rao of Srilaxmi Housing Enterprises claimed that it was his land. His contention was that it was assigned to seven persons and that he bought it from the assignees. Punna Rao divided the area into several plots and sold them to several persons, including the petitioners.

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However, the Telangana government has now resumed the land on the ground that assigned land cannot be sold to third parties. When several aggrieved plot buyers challenged the action in the court, Justice Ramalingeswara Rao, who heard the pleas, directed the state's counsel to produce the record pertaining to the purported assignment of land to the seven persons.

The state counsel, after seeking several adjournments, finally told the court that the record pertaining to the assignment of the land parcel was missing from the Qutbullapur mandal revenue office. All that the state counsel gave to the court was a copy of Faisal patti of the area pertaining to 1991.

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Wondering how the state machinery could wash off its hands with a mere statement, the judge said the state has to assist the court in arriving at the truth. Justice Rao then ordered the district collector to initiate an inquiry into the missing record episode and submit the inquiry report by August 8.

The judge also directed the registry to mark a copy of the order to the state revenue wing's principal secretary.