Telangana HC fines HYDRAA ₹1 lakh for fencing private land in Mallapur
HYDERABAD: The Telangana high court on Wednesday imposed a ₹1 lakh fine on the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) for fencing private land in Mallapur in violation of earlier court rulings, terming the action “arbitrary and high-handed”.
Justice NV Shravan Kumar directed the agency to remove the fence immediately and warned that it would have to pay ₹1 lakh per day until the fencing is removed.
The fine is to be paid to the petitioners as damages.
Two 500-square yard plots in dispute
The directions came while hearing two petitions challenging the fencing of two separate 500-square yard plots in Bhabhanagar Cooperative Housing Society Ltd at Mallapur in Uppal mandal.
“This court has emphatically observed that any act of fencing or fixing boards should be on the directions of jurisdictional courts or high court. However, in this case, HYDRAA high-handedly fenced the land and, after writ petitions were filed, is now justifying its act without following the due process of law,” Justice Shravan Kumar said in the order.
Petitioners cite unchallenged trial court ruling
While HYDRAA defended its action, the petitioners contended that their ownership had already been confirmed by a trial court and that the judgment had not been challenged.
The court’s order makes it clear that non-compliance will attract continuing financial penalties until the fence is removed.
