Hyderabad: Telangana high court granted the state govt a final opportunity to file its counters in a batch of petitions challenging the merger of panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations located within the Outer Ring Road limits into the GHMC.“By way of last indulgence, one week time is allowed to the respondents (state) to file a counter-affidavit,” said a bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin. The bench also granted another week to the petitioners to file their replies, if any, to the state’s counters and adjourned the matter for further hearing.The petitioners include a 98-year-old farmer MA Shareef of Ailapur, Ameenpur, whose farmhouse was recently razed by HYDRAA on April 11. They challenged the Telangana Municipal (Amendment) Act, 2026, and amendments to the Telangana Municipal Act, 2019, through which the govt initiated the merger process. Status quo on demolitionsIn Shareef’s case, the high court had earlier ordered status quo on the demolitions and, in a strongly worded order, directed HYDRAA not to demolish any unauthorised constructions and to confine itself to works on nalas, canals and public spaces until it placed its standard operation procedures before the court. When the petitions came up for hearing on April 16, C Ravi Kumar, assistant govt pleader appearing for the state, sought more time to file a counter-affidavit. Considering the request, the bench passed the present directions. The court had first directed the state to file counters within three weeks when the matter came up on Feb 16. When the case was heard again on March 24, two more weeks were granted on the state’s request for extension. The petitioners contended that the amendments were unconstitutional, arbitrary and violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. They alleged the amendments were carried out without the mandatory preliminary exercise. They also alleged that no prior notice was issued to residents of the gram panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations before their merger into the urban core area.
