Stay away from Kistapur, don't dispossess without rehab: HC tells Telangana

HYDERABAD: Stating that dispossession of people without rehabilitation is unacceptable, the Telangana high court on Wednesday directed the State of Telangana and its authorities to stay away from Etigadda Kistapur village in Siddipet district and also to remove all the machinery and vehicles from the village.
The bench of acting chief justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and justice A Rajasheker Reddy gave this interim direction while hearing a contempt plea filed by Nayini Saritha and five others from the village who alleged that the state is forcibly dispossessing them with huge police force contrary to the earlier order of the court that said that they should not be dispossessed from their fields and village without first being provided rehabilitation and resettlement as per the provisions of the new land acquisition Act. This village is one among many that will be submerged because of Mallanna Sagar reservoir and hence is under acquisition.
"Tell everyone to get out of the village. Also, ask them to remove the lorries from there. The presence of officials, police, and vehicles in the village is tantamount to interference in the peaceful lives of the people”, the bench said. When additional advocate general J Ramachandra Rao told the court that they have provided rehabilitation to 254 families, the bench asked him a pointed question whether the six persons who complained to the court were compensated.
There were 93 more persons who obtained an interim order earlier against dispossession. No use of vague statements. You have to act before the litigation multiplies, the bench said. The state counsel replied that the petitioners are acting at the behest of political rivals. They are refusing to take the compensation, he said. Justice Chauhan asked him which person would say No to Goddess Lakshmi Devi when she is heading towards his home.
Petitioners’ counsel told the court that all the petitioners are agricultural laborers and the state’s version is incorrect. After seeing the photographs of police force and vehicles in the village furnished by the Kistapur villagers and their counsel, the bench told the state counsel that strong defense of the accused in a contempt case would only land them in civil jail. Asking the state not to dispossess the people from the village till the next date of hearing, the bench posted the case to May 15.