High Court Fines Petitioners ₹50,000 Over Ammuguda Land Mutation Plea

The Telangana High Court has dismissed a writ petition seeking the mutation of revenue records for 7.28 acres of land at Ammuguda in Malkajgiri mandal, imposing a ₹50,000 fine on the petitioners for abusing the judicial process. Justice E.V. Venugopal rejected the challenge to a tahsildar's endorsement dated November 12, 2020, ruling that the petitioners had no legal right to reclaim the property.

The petitioners, Sardar Shanta Bai and two others, claimed ownership of the land in Survey No. 16/1 through the late R. Sardar Patel. They had sought mutation of the revenue records through a MeeSeva application filed in 2016, arguing that the government violated their constitutional rights by failing to provide copies of the approved layout.

However, the revenue department opposed the petition, presenting evidence that the petitioners and others had executed registered General Power of Attorney (GPA) agreements in 1985 and 1993. These agreements authorized the transfer and development of the property.

Under the authorized GPA holders, the land was fully converted into an approved residential layout. Out of the 7.28 acres, 6.18 acres were sold as residential plots, while the remaining 1.1 acres were set aside as open space.

The state government informed the court that this remaining 1.1-acre open space is currently maintained by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) as a football ground, under a layout approved by the erstwhile Kapra municipality in 2002. Revenue authorities added that the land is recorded as government property and the petitioners have no legally enforceable claim over it.

Justice Venugopal observed that the petitioners had repeatedly approached revenue authorities and invoked writ jurisdiction despite lacking any subsisting legal interest in the property.

The court ordered the petitioners to deposit the ₹50,000 penalty with the Telangana High Court Advocates' Welfare Association within two months. They must submit the payment receipt to the Registrar (Judicial-I) to confirm the transaction.