Hyderabad: Telangana high court has stepped in to protect a farmer from losing his agricultural land on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The court directed the govt not to dispossess him without following lawful procedures, offering a lifeline to a cultivator who claimed his land was being eyed for the construction of a new traffic police station in Abdullapurmet.Justice GM Mohiuddin made it clear that any future resumption or acquisition of the land assigned to the farmer must only proceed after a final decision is taken on his pending e‑passbook application under the Bhu Bharathi system.The judge further emphasised that no adverse action can be taken without first issuing a proper show‑cause notice, clearly stating the grounds for resumption and giving the petitioner a fair chance to be heard.The ruling came while disposing of a petition filed by Pittala Mutyalu, who sought protection for his 1.2‑acre plot in Pedda Amberpet village in Abdullapurmet mandal.Mutyalu asserted that he has been in lawful possession and cultivation of the land since 1980, with his name reflected in old revenue records. “Despite my long-standing cultivation, I was not issued a new e-passbook,” he alleged, pointing out that he had earlier secured a court order on Feb 10, directing revenue officials to process his application within 60 days.According to him, authorities ignored this directive and instead attempted to dispossess him without notice, compensation, or adherence to statutory procedure.Government counsels, however, contested his claims, arguing that the land is recorded as govt property. They stated that while parts of the survey number were previously assigned to landless poor, nearly 40 acres were resumed in Oct 2010 due to violations of assignment rules.The court noted that this fact had been suppressed in earlier litigation. Officials further maintained that the land earmarked for the traffic police station falls under a different survey number, insisting that Mutyalu’s name does not appear in current records and that he has no rights over either parcel.
