Pharma City land row: Telangana HC asks govt to maintain status quo, issues notices

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court has directed the state government to maintain the status quo on alienating endowment land for Pharma City.

A division bench comprising Justice T. Vinod Kumar and Justice Pulla Karthik passed a status quo order restraining the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSIIC) from passing an award under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 for setting up a Pharma City on the land measuring Ac.1022.32 guntas.

The land belongs to Sri Omkareshwara Swamy Temple at Nandiwanaparthy village, Yacharam Mandal in Rangareddy District.

Earlier In May 2006, the then High Court of Andhra Pradesh restrained the state government from either alienating or selling 1022.32 guntas land of Sri Omkareshwara Swamy temple without obtaining prior permission from the High Court.

In 2022, the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited filed a writ petition seeking permission to alienate the temple land for setting up Pharma City. The government stated that the Endowments Department Telangana had already accorded permission for the alienation of the temple land.

A single bench of the High Court accorded permission to the TSIIC to go ahead with the alienation of the temple land duly abiding by the terms and conditions under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act., 2013.

The Court also directed the TSIIC to pay compensation to the Sri Omkareshwara Swamy Temple by depositing the money in its account as a fixed deposit.

Challenging the order, Motekani Jangiah and another agriculturist from Yacharam Mandal filed the appeal. The division bench issued a status quo order and issued notices to the state government to respond by July 2023.