BRS demands justice for 600 farmers

Key court rulings

■ In 2007, a trial court dismissed a suit seeking correction of revenue records.

■ The High Court in 2011 and later benches ruled that any alienations without mandatory ceiling declarations are null and void under Sections 17, 18, and 19 of the Act.

■ In 2019-2020, a Single Bench dismissed writ petitions by companies including Alpha Estates and Omega Developments Ventures, declaring the 2016 sale deeds (Document Nos. 635, 636, and 637) void.

■ A Division Bench in 2022 upheld this, stressing that non-filing of declarations disentitles parties from asserting ownership or seeking land conversion.

■ A Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court has not received any stay, and the land remains listed as "State Government Land" in the prohibited properties list on the BhooBharathi portal.

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

In a representation addressed to the Collector of Ranga Reddy District, a delegation from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has demanded urgent action to protect the rights of more than 600 farming families in Survey No. 613 at Nadargul Village, Balapur Mandal. The letter highlights the families' long-standing cultivation of the land, which spans approximately 373.22 acres and is recorded as government land in revenue records since the 1954-55 Khasra Pahani. Despite this, the letter alleges, that the farmers were forcibly evicted by thugs linked to real estate companies, described as alleged benamis of Telangana's Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.

The representation provides a detailed legal timeline spanning over seven decades. Originally part of a Jagir claimed by the family of Late Raja Shivaraj Dharmavath Bahadur, the land vested in the state after the abolition of the Jagir system. The letter quotes High Court observations that transactions without the required declarations defeat the purpose of land reform laws and are invalid from the outset. It invokes constitutional provisions, particularly Articles 14, 21 and 300A, arguing that continued inaction violates the right to life and livelihood.

The BRS representatives claim that despite spot inspections and reports by the Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO), Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) and even the District Collector confirming government title, no effective action has been taken to remove the encroachers.