"Lost Faith In Government": Telangana High Court's Rare Order In Land Row

In an unprecedented move, the Telangana High Court ordered the Indian Army to protect a disputed 26-acre private property in Bahadurguda near Hyderabad, saying it had "lost all faith" in the state government and its agencies.

The court also warned that it could even direct the Army to take HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath into custody if its orders continued to be ignored.

The case began after farmers claimed HYDRAA officials entered the land with bulldozers, demolished gates and fenced the property despite registered sale deeds and a pending ownership dispute.

On July 21, the high court ordered both sides to maintain status quo and restrained HYDRAA from taking any coercive action. Petitioners later alleged that officials violated those directions, triggering the court's unusually strong response.

The judges observed that the Army should never have been dragged into a civil property dispute because of the conduct of government officials.

They remarked that courts cannot become "silent spectators" when their orders are openly disregarded. The bench warned that government agencies are bound by the rule of law and cannot treat judicial directions as optional.

The case was filed by four farmers led by Jakkidi Yadi Reddy, who claim they have owned and cultivated 26.03 acres of land in Bahadurguda, Shamshabad, since buying it through registered sale deeds in 1989-90.

They approached the Telangana High Court after alleging that HYDRAA officials entered the land on July 18, demolished gates, fenced the property and prevented them from accessing their fields, despite the ownership dispute being unresolved.

The land is part of a larger area proposed for acquisition for the Mumbai-Hyderabad bullet train project, making the ownership issue highly contentious.

The farmers filed an urgent petition before the high court, which initially ordered both sides to maintain the status quo.

After allegations that HYDRAA ignored those directions, the court ordered Army protection for the land.

The matter is now scheduled for its next hearing on August 11, 2026.

Revanth Reddy government's HYDRAA-the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency- was established in July 2024 to reclaim encroached government land, lakes, parks and drainage channels while improving disaster management and flood protection. 

In the recovery phase, the agency has carried out high-profile demolition and land recovery drives, reclaiming hundreds of acres of government land.

However, HYDRAA has repeatedly landed in legal and political controversy with property owners, farmers as well as political opponents accusing it of demolitions without due process.

In recent months, the Telangana high court has criticised the agency in multiple matters, describing some actions as "high-handed" and even referring to a "recurring modus operandi" of demolishing first and justifying later. 

In another case, the court ordered restoration of demolished structures after finding that HYDRAA had ignored judicial protec