Land disputes: Telangana HC directs State to respond to PIL on special tribunals

HYDERABAD: Sceptical of the 30-day disposal of land dispute cases by the newly constituted special tribunals, the Telangana High Court, on Thursday, directed the State government to respond to a PIL, which claims that these tribunals have been disposing of pending statutory appeals by brazenly disregarding the principles of natural justice.

A division bench of the court, comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy, is dealing with the PIL filed by N Srinivasa Rao, an advocate from Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, seeking direction to the special tribunals to provide proper opportunity of hearing to the parties concerned before disposing of the statutory appeals transferred to them for adjudication.

Petitioner’s counsel K Pavan Kumar told the court that the Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Passbooks (Special Tribunals) Rules, 2021, notifies the constitution of special tribunals, comprising district collector and additional district collector, for disposal of pending appeals/revisions. 

It is indicated in the rules that the transferred appeals/revisions should be disposed of within 30 days. Accordingly, the tribunals are hastily disposing of the statutory appeals without providing an opportunity of hearing to the parties, he said. 

After hearing the case, the bench questioned the State as to how cases were being disposed of within 30 days without involvement of lawyers and against principles of natural justice. When the Advocate General BS Prasad sought some time to get instructions from the State government, the bench posted the matter to March 2 for further hearing.