Hyderabad: In an unprecedented order, the Telangana High Court has asked the Indian Army to guard a 40-acre disputed property after the Shanta Sriram Constructions alleged the government’s Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) illegally entered their premises and caused destruction.
The HYDRAA is a statutory body responsible for the protection of public property and disaster management in Hyderabad.
Hearing a contempt petition filed by the 35-year-old real estate company, Justice Anil Kumar said the High Court has “lost faith in the state and all its instrumentalities”.
The real estate firm had filed a writ petition challenging the state government and the revenue department’s ownership claims over the 40-acre land parcel in 2016. Their contempt petitions against HYDRAA for defying judicial orders and interfering with this private property were filed in both May and July 2026.
Justice Kumar also ordered the Registrar General of the High Court to speak to the senior-most Brigadier of the Bison Division of the Army, and get the names of 10 personnel who would be posted at the property by Friday.
“Though the court is conscious to not involve the Army in such issues, we are doing so as we have lost faith in the state. Those sitting in the secretariat should also know what is happening,” the court said.
Severely reprimanding HYDRAA Commissioner A. Ranganath, an IPS officer, the court warned that it could direct the Army to take him into custody and place him in the army barracks for repeatedly violating court orders.
Advocate General A Sudharshan Reddy and Additional Advocate General Mohammad Imran Khan, who appeared for HYDRAA and the State of Telangana, however, refuted the allegations made by the firm categorically.
But when the petitioner produced photographs of HYDRAA vehicles entering the site, the court referred to A Ranganath as a habitual offender and said it could direct the police to take him into custody, censuring him.
The case has been posted for hearing Friday after the Advocate General and the Additional Advocate General appealed to the HC for indulgence, pleading that such an issue will not arise further.
“But he thinks he is beyond everything and goes on violating court orders, not once, but thrice. This is an interference in the administration of justice,” the judge said in an open court.
The court has asked senior police officials to be present during the hearing Friday.
The case revolves around a long-standing dispute between the Telangana government and Shanta Sriram Constructions. While the company claims it owns the prime parcel of land, bought in 1955 and mutated in the state revenue records, the government classifies it as ‘B2’ land under the Secunderabad Cantonment.
Land parcels in the cantonment are classified as A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, and C1, C2, and C3. In cantonments such as the SCB, the land parcels are categorised by the Directorate General Defence Estates for different purposes.
The classification determines whether the property is strictly military, open for public use, or held by private individuals under specific rules stated by the cantonment board.
According to Maheshwar Ponduru, who serves as the panel advocate for HYDRAA, B2 lands are owned by the government and cannot be sold to anyone.
“We have to be given a chance to present our case and file a counter. We contend that the 40-acre land that falls under Malkajgiri district belongs to the government. We have a certified GLR (or Guide Line Register) from the year 1937, and we reckon that mere revenue entries do not confer the title of ownership. These lands cannot be alienated to anybody,” Maheshwar told ThePrint.
The conflict between the company and the government is not the first to escalate into a major constitutional stand-off between private parties, the state, and its agencies. Numerous writ and contempt petitions have been filed in the Telangana High Court against HYDRAA, with the Lothkunta contempt case, Bahadurguda land dispute, and the Bathukamma contempt case being a few.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)