Telangana HC modifies order on preliminary notification for delimitation of wards in GHMC

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on Friday modified an earlier order on the preliminary notification for delimitation of wards in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), substantially narrowing the scope of disclosures required from the civic body.

A division bench of Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar restricted the directions issued by a single judge to only two wards, instead of all 300 wards proposed under the delimitation exercise.

Background of the case

The modification came while hearing writ appeals filed by the Telangana government challenging an order dated December 17, 2025, passed by Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy.

In that order, the Single Judge had directed the GHMC Commissioner to place ward-wise population details and maps of all 300 proposed wards in the public domain within 24 hours.

The direction was issued in response to a writ petition filed by Ponna Venkat Ramana, a Hyderabad resident, who sought a stay on the preliminary delimitation notification issued on December 9, 2025, alleging that objections submitted by residents were not properly considered.

State Government’s appeal

The State government, represented by the Principal Secretary and the Secretary for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, challenged the Single Judge’s order through Writ Appeals Nos. 1479 and 1480 of 2025.

The government argued that the blanket direction to disclose information relating to all 300 wards was excessive, as the petitioner’s grievance was confined to specific wards.

Division bench’s modified directions

Accepting the government’s contention, the Division Bench confined the scope of disclosure strictly to Ward Nos. 104 and 134, which were the subject matter of the petitioner’s objections.

The Bench directed the GHMC Commissioner to upload ward-wise population details and relevant information pertaining only to these two wards in the public domain by 10.00 am on December 20, 2025.

Timeline for objections

After the information is made public, the petitioners have been granted two days to submit objections or additional objections, if any, limited to the said wards.

Impact of the order

The modification significantly narrows the extent of disclosure required from the municipal authorities, while ensuring that the specific grievances raised by the petitioner are addressed in accordance with the law. The preliminary delimitation notification itself has not been stayed at this stage.