OU land case will be dealt with by respective courts: High Court

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on 9 August said the Osmania University land case will be dealt with by the respective courts in accordance with the law.

A High Court Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Chada Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Poladi Ramana Rao, a post-doctoral fellow at the Osmania University, Hyderabad. The PIL sought to call for remarks and records from the state government and the government authorities concerned regarding the inaction of the authorities in protecting the university lands during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Taking advantage of the lockdown, land grabbers and land sharks have encroached on OU land measuring around 8,000 sq yards.

The petitioner requested the court to issue directions to survey lands of Osmania University.

Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad submitted a report to the court about the Osmania University land and status report of pending cases in different courts. He further informed the court that Tulasi Cooperative Housing Society Limited of New Nallakunta, Hyderabad, represented by its secretary, accepted before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Nampally, that they do not own this particular land. The society cannot assert an inch of property in the said Osmania University land, the AG said.

Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan opined that this matter pertains to civil court and will be decided on its own merits.

Moreover, the AG informed the Bench that a charge sheet has been filed by the Amberpet police in the ACMM Court, Nampally, and five persons have been named as accused.

After hearing the contentions of the Advocate General, the Bench opined that at this juncture it is not proper to continue further proceedings in the matter and leave it to the respective courts, i.e., civil and criminal courts, to deal with it.