Why should the Central government give more institutions to Telangana State when the latter was treating a prestigious central institution like University of Hyderabad (UoH) shabbily with regard to dispute over 25 acres of land, observed Telangana High Court Acting Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao on Wednesday.
Before passing an order to maintain status quo over 25 acres of land located in Gopanapally of Ranga Reddy district, the Acting Chief Justice remarked that the State government should support UoH in the land matter “instead of being hostile” towards it. “This is something astonishing...no government does treat a prestigious Central institution in this shabby way,” he observed.
A bench of the Acting CJ and Justice T. Vinod Kumar was hearing a writ appeal filed by UoH challenging a single judge order dismissing its petition questioning G.O. Ms. No 1473 of 2008 allotting 25.31 acres of land to private persons. The bench issued notices to the respondents in the matter and directed them to file counter affidavits. The counsel for the respondents in the appeal petition informed the bench that earlier the UoH had agreed to allot 21 acres of land to his clients. They were objecting to part with 25 acres of land now even after a single judge dismissed their writ petition challenging the land allotment by the State government, he said.
“You should be happy that University of Hyderabad had agreed to give away 21 acres of land...never seen a prominent Central institution being treated so shabbily,” the Acting Chief Justice noted. The matter was posted to November 7 for next hearing.
In 1975, the then unified Andhra Pradesh government had allocated 2,324.05 acres of land to UoH under survey numbers 1 to 9 and 14 to 24 and 25 of Kancha Gachchibowli village of Serilingampally mandal in Rangareddy district. The State government subsequently took back nearly 700 acres of that land.
