High Court Orders CB-CID Probe Into Rs 370 Crore Injapur Lake Land Encroachment

On Monday, the Telangana High Court ordered a Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) inquiry into the illegal encroachment and sale of 74 acres of government lake land in Injapur village, located in the Abdullapurmet mandal of Rangareddy district.

Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka issued the order after observing that the material presented before the court indicated possible collusion by revenue officials in allowing the encroachments to continue. According to market sources, the encroached land is valued at approximately Rs 370 crore, or about Rs 5 crore per acre.

The court directed the Director-General of Police to hand over the inquiry to the CB-CID and complete the investigation within three months. Additionally, the Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department was ordered to take immediate action against negligent officials, specifically the local tahsildar and the grama palana officer, and submit a comprehensive report within four weeks.

The court order followed a petition filed by advocate Chandra Mohan Reddy Somi Reddy. The petitioner’s counsel contended that despite repeated representations to the authorities in December 2025, no action was taken to stop the illegal occupation, sale, and manipulation of official records. The counsel alleged that local politicians, along with revenue and municipal officials, had tampered with layout records to facilitate illegal constructions.

While the district collector initially claimed no complaints had been received, a subsequent report confirmed that the land, measuring 74 acres and 16 guntas in Survey No. 126, is registered as government land and is part of the Jilavarkhan Cheruvu lake. A field survey identified various unauthorised occupations on the lake land, including houses, roads, temples, and government facilities.

Justice Bheemapaka noted that while the collector's report acknowledged the widespread occupation, it failed to explain how these structures were permitted or what actions were taken against the encroachers. The judge pointed out that the authorities seemed to focus on allegations against the petitioner rather than addressing the extensive encroachments.

The court concluded that the authorities had failed to protect public property and appeared to shield the encroachers. Because the land is a notified water body, the court ruled that an independent CB-CID investigation was necessary to identify the responsible public officials and private individuals.