Harish Rao Demands Judicial Probe into Section 22A Prohibited Property Listings

Former minister T Harish Rao has urged the immediate intervention of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi into what he termed a serious governance crisis arising from the alleged misuse of Section 22A of the Registration Act, 1908, affecting areas including Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, and Nizampet in Hyderabad.

In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, Harish Rao demanded the constitution of a Commission of Inquiry headed by a retired High Court Judge. He requested that the proposed commission examine the entire Section 22A controversy and conduct an audit of every survey number added to or removed from the prohibited-properties list from December 2023 onwards.

Harish Rao alleged that the functioning of the revenue and registration machinery in Telangana has caused widespread distress. He stated that private properties with long-standing titles, layouts approved by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), patta lands, and properties regularised under the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) framework were being arbitrarily placed on the Section 22A prohibited-properties list.

According to the former minister, these arbitrary inclusions have created deep uncertainty for thousands of genuine property owners. He noted that the issue is particularly severe across Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Rangareddy, and Sangareddy districts, impacting both suburban expanses and established residential hubs.

Harish Rao stressed that Section 22A is intended strictly to prevent the registration of legally prohibited properties. He stated that the provision cannot be used to create artificial disputes over bona fide private properties, freeze legitimate real estate transactions, or facilitate illegal collections.

Highlighting corruption allegations, Harish Rao claimed that a "30% collection racket" has emerged under the current mechanism. He alleged that legitimate property owners are being forced to approach intermediaries to get their land and holdings removed from the prohibited list, with illicit demands reportedly reaching up to 30 percent of the property's market value.