Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Monday directed private companies to file counters on the allocation of temple land and other parcels in Sitarampur in Shabad mandal of Ranga reddy district, allegedly given to them at nominal prices.A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin issued the directions while hearing a PIL filed by social activist Perala Shekhar Rao, who challenged the acquisition of 1,148 acres in Sitarampur.The petitioner’s counsel argued that acquiring temple land under the Land Acquisition Act is invalid and subject to judicial review. He claimed the land was allocated to TGIIC with the approval of the endowments department.“Govt departments cannot approve the acquisition of temple lands and they should only be held in trust. If needed, the lands should be auctioned, and the proceeds should be allocated for temple development only,” the counsel submitted.He further alleged that despite the land’s value running into crores, TGIIC allocated it for just ₹30 lakh — half of which was given to the temple and the rest distributed to encroachers.Countering this, additional advocate general T Rajanikanth Reddy, representing the state, told the court that the acquisition process was complete and compensation of ₹178 crore had already been paid.“The govt has introduced a land acquisition policy as part of industrial development, and allocations were made accordingly,” Rajanikanth Reddy informed the bench.Meanwhile, Senior counsel K Vivek Reddy, representing one of the private companies, Olectra Greentech Limited, argued that companies have been established on the allocated land, providing employment to hundreds.
