High Court orders Telangana to allot house site to 1971 war veteran P Seetaramaraju

The Telangana High Court has ordered the state government to allot a 300-square-yard house site to P. Seetaramaraju, a decorated and disabled 1971 Indo-Pak War veteran, in Hyderabad. Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar issued the order, setting aside a July 2014 government memo that had rejected the veteran's claim on the grounds of his nativity.

The court ruled that denying benefits to war-disabled soldiers based on their nativity is arbitrary and unsustainable. Justice Shravan Kumar observed that Seetaramaraju's service to the nation transcends territorial or regional boundaries, adding that schemes meant to honour disabled ex-servicemen must be interpreted liberally rather than defeated by technical objections.

Seetaramaraju, an Army veteran who was medically boarded out of service after sustaining severe injuries in the 1971 war, has been fighting for the house site since 2002. He initially approached the High Court after authorities failed to act on his application under a government scheme for disabled ex-servicemen.

Despite multiple favourable court orders over the years, including contempt proceedings and interim directions, the state government had failed to extend the benefit. In July 2014, the government officially rejected his claim, stating that he belonged to West Godavari district in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and was therefore not entitled to a house site in the Rangareddy district of Telangana.

However, the High Court rejected this reasoning, noting that the authorities had ignored subsequent government policies. These policies, including government orders and memos, extended house-site allotments to war-disabled soldiers at their place of residence or employment rather than restricting eligibility to their native districts.

The court noted that official records from the Regional Sainik Welfare Office recognized Hyderabad as Seetaramaraju's permanent residence, where he has lived since 1975 following his discharge from the Army.

While the government stated that no vacant land was available in Survey No. 123 of Hydernagar of Balanagar mandal, the High Court directed the authorities to allot the veteran a 300-square-yard house site in any municipal area of Telangana within three months. The court clarified that the petitioner cannot insist on land at a location of his choice and that the allotment must be made strictly in accordance with the law.