Kancha Gachibowli land row: Telangana High Court defers hearing to April 24

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday deferred the hearing of various petitions filed about tree felling at the Kancha Gachibowli forest area near the Hyderabad Central University campus till April 24.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara was hearing a petition filed by Uday Krishna, founder of Vata Foundation, against a government order stated to be alienating 400 acres of green cover land in the area for setting up IT infrastructure. The court was also hearing another PIL filed by a retired scientist, Kalapala Babu Rao, seeking similar reliefs, and a plea by the Students’ Union claiming that the land belongs to the University.

Senior advocate S Niranjan Reddy, appearing for one of the petitioner’s Vata Foundation, submitted that, “After your lordships directed the state to file a counter (on April 3), in the afternoon a report of this hon'ble court's Registrar was placed before the hon'ble Supreme Court...The Supreme Court is now seized of the matter. It has directed a further enquiry into the...Since the Supreme Court is now seized of the issue directly, has granted a protective interim order in the meantime, I would...submit maybe matter be left to be decided by the Supreme Court.”

Danger of fake news

Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for the State government’s forest department, stated that the Supreme Court is seized of the matter. This legal case is being turned into fake news, it is being used to tear apart the social fabric. She asked permission to file a preliminary report on behalf of the police on how fake news is being generated to instil and inspire a certain kind of breakdown of social fabric.

The court said, “This is not your petition. You are not a petitioner before us. You file your counter, whatever you want to say.” The centre’s counsel at this stage said that the Central government had also asked the State government to furnish a report.

The court also listed the plea filed by the Student's Union on April 24.

Govt serious on AI fake images

Earlier the day, the State government expressed serious concern over the creation of controversy through fabricated videos and photos on social media networks that the government has seized the lands of Hyderabad Central University.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, along with deputy CM Bhatti Mallu Vikramarka and other ministers, held a review at the Secretariat on the cases pending in the court regarding Kancha Gachibowli lands.

The officials briefed the chief minister about the projects developed on the lands in Survey No. 25 in Kancha Gachibowli in the last 25 years.

The officials informed the chief minister that the controversy led to a national debate. People created fake videos and photos using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and circulated them widely on social media. The authorities told the CM that the fabricated videos and photos went viral on social media even before the government disclosed the facts on the lands, and it has become a big challenge for them.

Top police officials explained to CM Revanth Reddy that some vested interests made fake videos and AI photos of crying peacocks and injured deer running away like they were being hit by bulldozers. Even some famous persons in various fields presumed the fake videos and photos circulating on social media were true, and it added fuel to the lies.

Importance of Kancha Gachibowli

Kancha Gachibowli is one of the few remaining urban forests in Hyderabad. This habitat hosts a wide range of birds and animals. There are approximately 237 species of birds on the campus. It’s one among the few urban forest areas that houses Spotted Deer, Wild Boars, Star Tortoises and numerous snake species such as Indian Rock Python, Vipers, Cobras, Boas and Kraits.

The Telangana government claimed that the 400 acres belonged to the State government.

The government intends to develop world-class infrastructure in this government land through the Telangana Government Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TGIIC). It is preparing to invite tenders for the integrated development of this land.