Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court expressed strong discontent towards the demolition actions taken by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) on Thursday, February 20.
The court highlighted that if HYDRAA continues to act against Government Order 99, it may have to revoke the order and shut down HYDRAA altogether.
The court criticized the agency for allegedly carrying out demolitions based on personal grievances raised by individuals rather than legal grounds, questioning how rights could be determined solely from documents without proper authority.
During a hearing of a petition filed by A Praveen regarding the demolition of his shed in Muttangi village, Sangareddy district, Justice K Lakshman demanded to know why there had been no change in HYDRAA’s approach despite multiple directives to issue notices and provide adequate time for explanations before proceeding with demolitions.
The petitioner claimed that his structure was demolished without considering the details he submitted regarding his land.
HYDRAA’s inspector Rajasekhar appeared in court as per the judge’s orders. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that demolitions were initiated based on a complaint from the Gayatri Members Association, alleging illegal constructions in a park area, even though permissions for construction were granted by the panchayat on November 15, 2023.
HYDRAA razes Hyderabad’s Pariki Lake encroachments
Demolitions conducted after document verification: HYDRAA
In response, HYDRAA’s counsel claimed that demolitions were executed only after a thorough examination of all documents, asserting that previous permissions had been obtained under duress from the panchayat secretary.
Justice Lakshman expressed discontent over the ongoing petitions despite having issued over twenty orders on similar matters.
He questioned how HYDRAA could assert that permissions granted in 2023 could be revoked in 2025 and challenged them on their failure to present relevant orders during past hearings.
He also raised concerns about why complaints were not made prior to HYDRAA’s involvement if there were indeed encroachments on parkland.
HC Judge criticizes HYDRAA
The judge emphasized that determining rights is a matter for civil courts, not for HYDRAA, and criticized the agency for its actions against individuals without proper legal authority.
He ordered that the status quo be maintained at the petitioner’s property and directed HYDRAA to submit a detailed counter by March 5, postponing further proceedings until then.
