Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka of the Telangana High Court imposed ₹1 lakh as cossts on four petitioners who filed a writ petition alleging that Telangana State Central Power Distribution Company Limited officials were attempting to evacuate them from their property in Amberpet of Hyderabad.
Observing that “this is a clear suppression of facts” by the petitioners, the Judge directed them to deposit the costs with the High Court Legal Services Committee within two weeks. The petitioners moved the High Court in 2022 stating that the electricity authorities were interfering with the possession of their land measuring 2,432 square yards at Amberpet claiming that it was their patta land.
The petitioners maintained that the authorities had to follow the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act-2013 if they wanted that land. Based on the contentions of the petitioners, the High Court ordered status quo in the matter in September 2022.
In the counter affidavit, the electricity department authorities informed the High Court that the Hyderabad District Collector had allotted 300 square yards of the land for the construction of 33/11 KV sub-station to augment power supply following requests of the local residents. They also informed the court that the petitioners had already filed a suit in 2007 in city civil court claiming rights over the land in 2007.
In 2018, they withdrew the suit. “In the entire affidavit, there is no whisper that petitioners filed suit and it was withdrawn after 11 years,” the Judge observed in his order. The Judge noted that “they have not only approached this Court with unclean hands but also abused the process of law…”, dismissing the petition.
