The Telangana High Court issued this directive following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the land auction by TSIIC. The court extended the hearing and postponed it until 3 April
Published Apr 02, 2025 | 5:18 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 02, 2025 | 5:30 PM
File photo of the Telangana High Court. (Creative Commons)
Synopsis: The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to stop further tree cutting in the 400-acre Kancha Gachibowli land until tomorrow. This follows a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the land auction by TSIIC. The hearing was extended, and the court postponed proceedings until 3 April to review arguments from both petitioners and respondents
The Telangana High Court has ordered the state government to halt any further tree cutting in the 400-acre land in Kancha Gachibowli until tomorrow, 3 April.
This directive comes after hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding the auction of the land by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC).
The PIL was filed in the Telangana High Court challenging a government order issued by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation. The order seeks to alienate 400 acres of green cover land in Kancha Gachibowli, Serlingampally Mandal, for IT infrastructure development. The petition argues that the government order violates the Forest Conservation Act, 1980
During the proceedings, both petitioners and respondents presented their arguments before the court. As the hearing extended past the allotted time, the court postponed further hearings until 3 April.
The #Telangana High Court has directed the state not to cut any more trees in the 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli until tomorrow. Hearing a PIL regarding the auction of the lands by the TGIIC, the court heard arguments from the petitioners and the respondents.
They postponed the… pic.twitter.com/NXaCeGJ38Q
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) April 2, 2025
Advocates Vasudha Nagraj and Niranjan Reddy, representing the petitioners, argued that the land in question is essentially forested and should therefore be protected under the 2002 WALTA (Wildlife Protection and Forest Conservation) Act.
They further questioned whether a committee had been formed to evaluate the environmental impact before the deforestation began on the land.
On the other hand, the General Prosecutor for the General Administration Department argued that the land had been industrial in nature from the outset, citing the term ‘Kancha’ as grazing land.
He contended that the government owned the land and was therefore within its rights to proceed with development plans.
The court’s ruling has temporarily halted the tree-cutting activities on the land as the legal battle over its future continues.
Protests at the University of Hyderabad have intensified in response to the state’s land development plans, with students staging large-scale demonstrations, class boycotts, and sit-ins. Led by the University of Hyderabad Students’ Union (UoHSU), students have strongly opposed the state’s proposed land auction, citing environmental concerns and the potential threat to the university’s integrity. Protestors gathered at the university’s main gate, demanding the government halt the auction and remove earth-moving machinery from the land.
In the midst of the unrest, leaders from Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and Left parties attempted to enter the campus but were stopped by police. Several students were detained, further escalating tensions and fuelling resentment against the Telangana government led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
NSUI, the student wing of the Indian National Congress, has condemned the bulldozer action. Rachna Reddy, NSUI General Secretary, stated, “As primary stakeholders of the university, it is unacceptable to violently detain over 60 students. The administration and state government must collaborate to clarify the situation and resolve this peacefully.”
(Edited by Ananya Rao with inputs from Saicharan Sana)
