TRS MLAs poaching case: Who owns 'Deccan Kitchen' in Jubilee Hills?

Hyderabad: The GHMC's bulldozers went all blaze on a prime property in Jubilee hills on 13 November (Sunday). Despite a holiday, the demolition was carried out owing to the significance of the ongoing TRS MLAs poaching case.

Hyderabad businessman Nanda Kumar, Simhayaji, and Ramachandra Bharati are accused of attempting to poach four TRS MLAs, and get them to leave the party in return for money, position and civil contracts. The four were caught red-handed at a farmhouse in Moinabad before the Munugode by-polls and are currently remanded in Chanchalguda jail.

Cut to Sunday, the demolition squad of GHMC razed down 'unauthorised commercial structures' reportedly leased out to Nanda Kumar. These properties were adjoining the 'Deccan Kitchen' hotel in Film Nagar.

Does Nanda Kumar own Deccan Kitchen?

Running into crores going by the market value, plot no 2 and 3 (D.No.8-2-293/82/F/A/3) on Road No. 1 in Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills are originally owned by the Daggubati brothers, Suresh babu and Venkatesh, respectively. The ancestral property was leased out to one Pramod Kumar who is reportedly the first lease agreement holder and a friend of Nanda Kumar.

Straight to November 13th 2022, In a turn of events, a fresh case was registered against Nanda Kumar at Banjara Hills police station over Deccan Kitchen's lease agreement. According to the complainant, Deccan Kitchen, which has been operating since 2011, was run by Syed Ayaaz (32) of Mahindra Hills along with his brother Syed Azhar. They reportedly paid Nanda Kumar Rs. 12 lakhs as an 'advance' and had an agreement to pay 10% commission on total sales. They reportedly sub-leased the property from Nanda Kumar with a rental agreement of Rs. 2 lakh every month and spent Rs. 1 crore on the interiors. This case has opened a can of worms and raised questions about who owns this property.

P. Radha Kishan Rao, deputy commissioner of police, taskforce north zone, explained the sequence of ownership. "Years ago, the Daggubati brothers leased out the land to one Pramod Kumar. According to the lease agreement, the party was not authorised to carry out any further construction in the said place and secondly, it could not be sub-leased. However, soon Suresh Babu's side of the property landed in a dispute. Both parties went to court, and the owners wanted to evict the tenant. Nanda Kumar who established W3 Hospitality Private Service got a stay on the vacate case. The land fell in dispute and the rent amount was being deposited in the court," he said.

The land was sub-leased to five commercial properties—Deccan Kitchen, Scream - an ice cream parlor, Barista, Gourmet, and a gadget store. Nanda Kumar would reportedly collect Rs. 6.5 lakh as rent from these stores and deposit a rent of Rs. 1 lakh toward the original lease in the court.

NewsMeter also spoke to GHMC officials about the disputed land. An official, on condition of anonymity, said. "The civil disputes are pending between the parties. It was originally filed by the lawful owner and subsequently by the tenant. Initially, the owner could not succeed before the civil courts. Since then the property has been in dispute. The tenant sub-leased the properties to five different commercial outlets and he would deposit the rent amount in the court.

The GHMC razed out illegal structures at Jubilee hills, the place is currently under vigil by private persons

An owner of the commercial property who wishes to be unidentified further told NewsMeter, "Nanda Kumar is not our partner but we sub-leased the property from him. Monthly rent would be transferred to him, however, he had no role in our businesses. We were unaware of the sub-lease clause given by the original owner. Nanda Kumar always portrayed it was his place. He would often come to the restaurant with VVIPs, including bureaucrats, MLAs, and MPs. Kumar always dealt with real estate deals and would manage this property. Everyone is of the assumption that Deccan Kitchen belongs to him, which is incorrect."

It is to be noted that the property has been leased out twice, first legally and second illegally. According to Nanda Kumar's agreement with the owners, he does not have the legal right to sublet it.

On the contrary, Nanda Kumar's son lodged two complaints at the Banjara Hills police station against the GHMC regarding the demolition. He alleged that the demolition was illegal since they already had a stay from the court. Currently, the place is out of permit to any of the said parties and is under vigil by private persons.

In the entire episode, the whole turn of events worked in favor of the original owner Suresh babu who has been insisting on an eviction and the demolition of illegal structure in his property blessing in disguise.

Special Investigating Team should report to the court

On Tuesday afternoon, a Telangana High Court Division Bench directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Hyderabad police commissioner C.V Anand, to investigate the alleged poaching of TRS MLAs by BJP workers.

The Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice C.V Bhaskar Reddy asked SIT to submit its report in a sealed cover to the single judge Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy by 29 November. The SIT shall not disclose the progress of the investigation before any authority as well as media and there shall be no selective leakages of investigation or the material gathered during the investigation, it further said.

The Bench said it shall be the responsibility of Mr. Anand to ensure that the instructions are scrupulously followed and added that the SIT shall not report before any authority viz, political or executive. The single judge Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy has been asked to ensure the progress of the investigation.

The writ appeal filed by the Telangana BJP represented by its general secretary Premendar Reddy seeking to stall the investigation is disposed of. Arguments will follow.