BRS flags forced eviction of 600 farmer families in Nadargul
HYDERABAD: Over 600 farmer families from Nadargul Village allege that individuals hired by real estate entities, reportedly linked to Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, forcibly evicted them from Survey No. 613, a 373-acre government land parcel. On April 9, 2026, several Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators formally submitted these allegations to the Ranga Reddy District Collector. The representation requests immediate eviction of encroachers, restoration of land to the farmers, and legal action against officials who failed to act despite court orders.
Providing historical context, according to the representation, revenue records have listed Survey No. 613 in Nadargul Village, Balapur Mandal, as Kancha Sarkari (Government land) since the Khasra Pahani of 1954-55. The BhooBharathi portal continues to list the 373.22-acre land in the Prohibited Properties List under the caption State Government Land.
Despite these records, the farmers claim that Alpha Estates, Omega Developments Ventures, and Kohinoor Company, described as alleged benamis of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, encroached on the land, destroyed crops, bulldozed bore wells, and forcibly dispossessed the farming families.
Detailing the legal background, the representation provides a legal timeline. In 2007, a trial court dismissed a suit by the original claimants’ legal representatives, finding insufficient evidence to correct revenue records. In 2015, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s judgment. However, the parties did not meet land ceiling obligations, and no one filed a declaration under Section 8 of the Telangana Land Reforms (Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings) Act, 1973. In 2016, parties executed sale deeds (Document Nos. 635, 636, and 637) in favor of Alpha Estates and Omega Developments Ventures for 50 acres each; the High Court later declared these deeds null and void.
Expanding on the ongoing legal proceedings, in 2020, a Single Bench of the Telangana High Court (Justice Naveen Rao) dismissed writ petitions that private entities filed, holding that the sale deeds were void for non-compliance with Sections 8, 17, 18, and 19 of the Land Ceiling Act. In 2022, a Division Bench (Former Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy) upheld the Single Bench judgment, reaffirming that the court would declare all alienations null and void without the mandatory declaration. In 2023, the Supreme Court refused to grant a stay on a Special Leave Petition. The matter remains pending, with the next listing on April 7, 2026, but the court has protected the government’s position.
Emphasizing the farmers’ legitimacy, the representation asserts that over 600 farmer families are legitimate cultivators, not trespassers. The farmers pay land tax regularly to the Gram Panchayat, obtain agricultural power connections from TRANSCO in their names, invest their savings in bore wells, and raise paddy, vegetables, and flowers for Hyderabad’s markets.
Despite these facts, the document alleges that Kohinoor Company used JCBs, bulldozers, and hired individuals to forcibly evict families, destroy crops, and dump debris on the fields, while revenue officials and police failed to intervene.
Listing the farmers’ demands, the representation outlines eight specific demands. These include immediate eviction of all encroachers with assistance from HYDRA and police, restoration of possession to the farmer families, grant of patta or title deeds under government land distribution schemes, registration of FIRs against the promoters and directors of the encroaching entities for criminal trespass and related offenses, disciplinary action against the Sub-Registrar who registered void sale deeds, departmental inquiry against revenue officials who failed to act, restoration of disrupted agricultural power connections, compensation for crop loss and damages, and submission of a detailed status report by the District Collector to the state government within 15 days.
Highlighting political complications, the representation alleges that the encroachers are widely believed to be benamis of or closely connected to Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy of the Congress government. It further claims that political pressure from the Minister prevents administrative action, despite confirmations from the MRO, RDO, and the District Collector’s report dated January 21, 2026, that the land is government property.
Raising critical questions, the representation asks why encroachers remain despite the MRO, RDO, and District Collector all confirming government title, the High Court twice declaring private sale deeds void, and the Supreme Court refusing to stay those orders, while 600 farmers seek justice.
Underscoring this point, the document adds, “We respectfully suggest that the answer to this question lies not in the law, which is crystal clear, but in political pressure that the Revenue Minister brings to bear on the administration.”
Beyond legal arguments, the representation appeals to the Collector’s conscience, noting that more than 600 families, including approximately 3,000 individuals, have lost their only means of livelihood. With the monsoon approaching, these families have no land to cultivate, no income, and nowhere to go.
Concluding with a warning, the representation states, each day officials fail to act, a farmer family goes hungry, encroachers become more emboldened, and public faith in the rule of law and governance erodes.
