Land grab case: Telangana HC grants relief to Eatala, restrains govt from taking action

Hyderabad: In a major relief to former Health Minister Eatala Rajender, Telangana High Court on Tuesday restrained the state government from taking action on Medak District Collector's report about the encroachment of 66 acres of assigned land in two villages of Masaipet Mandal.

The court found fault with the survey of the land under Jamuna Hatcheries conducted by Medak district collector and other officials without issuing notices or intimation to the family members of Etala.The court said that the action was a clear violation of Articles 14, 19, 21, and 300-A of the Constitution, and Section 153 of the TS Land Revenue Act.

On May 2, former Health Minister Eatala Rajender who is facing allegations of land grabbing was sacked by chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao. "On the advice of Chief Minister, Eatala Rajender has been dropped from the council of ministers," the governor said in a short order.

Medak district collector submitted a report to chief secretary Somesh Kumar accusing Eatala Rajender of land grab. The report concluded that Jamuna Hatcheries, the company owned by Eatala Rajender, illegally occupied land in Hakeempet and Achampet village of Medak district.

"In 1994, the government of united Andhra Pradesh assigned 1.20 acres of lands in survey number 130/5, 130/9, and 130/10 and 3 acres of lands in survey number 64/6 to the members of the backward communities. However, in a complaint, the petitioner alleged that Eatala Rajender and his associates encroached on their assigned land and has built poultry sheds while threatening them with dire consequences," the report said.

During the course of the inquiry, the collector said, the assigned lands were found in the possession of Jamuna hatcheries represented by Eatala Rajender and Jamuna. "The land has been illegally occupied, sheds and buildings have been constructed. Roads have been laid on the assigned lands," said the District Collector.

He added that the District Forest Officer Medak has submitted that a kaccha road was constructed and many trees felled without permission. After going through the report, the court said they have not come across any provision of law under which the district collector has conducted a detailed survey and filed a report.

The court said the only reason given was that a complaint was received against the petitioners stating that assigned lands have been encroached upon by the petitioners.

These observations were made by Justice Tadakamalla Vinod Kumar on Tuesday while hearing a petition filed by Jamuna Hatcheries Private Limited, represented by its director Etala Nithin (Son of Eatala Rajender) and his mother E. Jamuna.

The petition was against trespassing by the district collector and other revenue officials into their lands in Hakimpet and Achampet villages of Medak district and conducting the survey without issuing notices to them.