Partly allowed

Koppulu Sadanandam v. The State of Telangana

Telangana HC4 Sept 2024WP/14518/2024

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

This writ petition challenged the State of Telangana failure to direct consent awards for land acquired by Singareni Collieries Company. The court directed the Land Acquisition Officer to pass consent awards after petitioners filed fresh representations, complying with prior precedents and the RFCTLARR Act.

What did the court decide?

Directed the Land Acquisition Officer to pass consent awards for the subject land upon filing of fresh representations by the petitioners and deposit compensation accordingly.

Koppulu Sadanandam Vs The State of Telangana — Land Acquisition | Telangana HC (2024)

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HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA AT HYDERABAD (Special Originat Jurisdiction)

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[^32s6 ]

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WEDNESDAY,THE FOURTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER TWo THoUSAND AND nver.rrv rouR"'"-"

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PRESENT

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THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE C.V. BHASKAR REDDY

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WRIT PETITION NO: 1451 I OF 2024

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Between:

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Koppulu Sadanandar

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fdi#,t6,i7,":'&,:1?"?l'31?ijxl;,fi%?1'eJf il',.?:h'?lsT;o?l,?

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, H,T,o,:1,[rrl?13_"Jo[r",^./o^{srinivase Rao, Aqed. 68..years,occ.Farmer} Peddapelli oistrict-soJzoladmavathi^{nagar' dooi'a'irt'iil-nli'"g;i'#;}

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J. lvlaturi Aniiah. S/o Rathnaiah, Aged. 47 years, Occ. Farmer R/o ot 20_3-70 .x:tt+i?::,3i,.ii,slt!il,fi fl f ffi il,.ru:5:38v":[rsrrl:,:li" j j] 21-1:7aa4.1, Sr,irit,v"rn,-Coo'riii l,Xiin"ria'gua"m, peddapetti District_

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5 Vedhanthanam Anantha Lakshmi, wo vedhanthanam Venkata Ramana. {oeo^{so years,occ.} rarm"i. riio"i:r":";:51;

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^^{oiolvarirrrllinuilIlro"r,peddapeilioirtri.t_so3SogPowerhouse colony,} t [:,y;3;l [?,?-.,l5;9flp1^{wo r<5'ioor.i i;Jrri"n"eaoy nseo oT_years,} occ

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-^{Peddapelti oistrict-soslSbPowerHousecolonv' Goddv"r.irt'lninlilgta;;.} ' Hff '^{u,{ffi\l'.,}7i} Peddapeili District_505ti,f,,fi^.Sfi #J;:* ff ?: t8j, *?, I?T,. p;,!nf ;l:

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u. sagi Menaka, wo sagi Umapathi Rao Aged.56 years, occ. Farmer. R/o Bi#;1];J.rrr#/b/2shaiadha,irsr;,6;;;',;iin"r"ninr,"grdam.peddape,i

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1. lllinani Shamsundhar Reddy, S/o Jayaram Reddy Aged.48 years. Occ.

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,oE3r,T,i'#i",8:?.xAf :$i3;uysyliX#eiFi:l#[pj.ie#::,n ,,[?;1.,10#ifl]#li#l$i,r]r561uJy#r",f ii,3:E&"";i',*{sl's:","TT; . ^ M ustyr ta, s u ndiila, na msiri M;;dri "p;;;perrltidtrict_sosz os 'l2.Sundila odetu, S/o n"inrlasJq.'dtv;;;r: bA'F"rrur, R/o 341/A tndra

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coronv, Musrvara. sunrJiila, nrfrgiii i/:",iiJi"peii"aperri District-505209.

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13.A. Shankar,-S/o Raiatab eg"oi si V"r[, il; Farmer, R/o H.no.3-36 . .^{M ustya ta, S u nd ila,R6m gi ri u-a} iloa r, Fea^{jJp"drri"oiJiri"t_sosz} os 14.A.Padhma, wo A shan-ke,.,.AGal ;i V;#J:' dJi rr,",.n",, R/o H.no.3-36 . ^^{Mustyata,Sundila, namglitrrltaiJii,p"ojrpl,iri} d,:lii"t_soszos 1 5. Konnam Tirumata. wrn Frrr-et1 xlffi;, ;f#ll."it' yea rs, occ. Farmer. R/o H no 3-57lb. Mustva ra sunairra, nailgiii rG"ill, i,iodaperi District-50520s

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'16'Kasipeta Narsamina w".nijJ'iiiirl riuEli]ti vears, occ. Farmer. R/o ,, Yffi "r ffi t,! il:i! #" xixi ts*:* Si:; :i m* ;'::::, ;:" lvlustyata, Sunditia, Ramsrri wri"ill, piiolfreiri Sisirict_soszos

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18.Pindi Rahul, Sio Rajender, Aged. 22^years, Occ. Farmer, R/o H no.6-69j., Sulthanabad, Village and Mandal,^peddaoelli District_505209.

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l9.Sudilla Gatamma, Wo Narsimha Aged. 48 years, Occ. Farmer, R/o H.no-258, Mustyala, Sundilla, Ramgiri Mandal, peddaoelli District_505209.

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20.fgnnam Rajpab^u, S/o Yadaiah Aged.42 yeirs, Occ. Farmer, Rio H.no.3^.^{58/a,.M$tyala,Sunditta, Ramgiri Mandal, peddapelli District_505209.} 21. Sudilla Pochrnma, WJo Rajeshwar Aged. 55yeais, Occ. Farmer, R/o H.no-3^^^{4'l11,.Mustyala, Sundilla, Ramgiri Mandal, peddapeltiDistrict_505209.} 22.Sudilla Venkatamma, W/o^pochaiah Aged.50 years, Occ. Farmei, R/o H.no_ ^ ^^{2-9611, Mustyala, Sundilla, Ramgiri Mandal, peddapelli District-S05209.} 23.Korugonti Prasanth. S/o Raju AgAd.42^years Occ. Farmer. R/o H.No..15_3_95, _ !^{B. Nagar Godavarikhani Ramagudam, peddapelliDistrict-S05209.} 24.Klarapu Vidyasagar, S/o Bramhanad Aged.S4 years, Occ. Farmer, R/o Morkondaya colony Godavarikhani Ramagudam, pirddapeili District-50s209.

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AND

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...PETIT|ONERS

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The State of relangana, Represented bv its principal Secretarv Revenue _^ILA), _Government^{of Telangaria, Secretaridt State, Hyilerabad.} 2. The Singareni Collieries Company Limited. (SCCL), hepresented bv its Chief Managing Director, Singareni Bhavan, Hvdeiabad.'

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The District Coltector, Peddapaili District;At peddapalli.

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The land Acq{sition Officer, Revenue(Land Ac{uisition) Department, O/o.

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The Peddapalli District Collector, At pedciapalli.

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1. The General M.a!3ger, SCCL, Ramagundam Area_|, Godavarikhani,Peddapalli District.

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.,.RESPONDENTS

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Petition under Article 226 of the constitution of lndia praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed therewith, the High court may be pleased to issue an appropriate writ, order or direction more particularly one in the nature of writ of Mandamus declaring the action of the Respondent No.1 in not considering the request of Respondent No.2 to direct the District collectors to pass consent Awards for land Acquisition for the Respondent No.2 sccl as arbitrary, unreasonable, illegal, Violative of the provisions of the RFCTLARR Act,2013, the Telangana (Amendment) Act 21 of 2017 and Violative of Article^.14, 19 and 300-4 of the constitution of lndia and consequenfly direct the Respondent No.'l to direct the Respondent No.3 to pass consent Awards as per the provisions of the RFCTLARR Act,2013 and the Telangana (Amendment) Act 21 of 2017, for the land Acquisition of the petitioners lands admeasuring Ac 5508 gts situated in sy Nos.378 in Mustyala Village of Ramagiri Mandal, peddapalli District for the purpose Respondent No.2 sccL, Godavarikhani coal Mine (NO.2.24 and 5) (GDK-V OC), Ramagundam Area-l

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lA NO: 1 OF 2024

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Petition under Section 151 CPC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High Court may be pleased to stay the land acquisition proceedings vide Collector Proce No.G2l1 29312018 and the Gazette No.0712024, Form-lV Preliminary Notification dl. 05.03.2024, initiated by the Respondents in respect of the Petitioners lands admeasuring Ac 55-08 gts situated in Sy Nos.378 in Mustyala Village of Ramagiri [t/andal, Peddapalli District for the purpose Respondent No.2 SCCL, Godavarikhani Coal lMine (NO.2,2A and 5) (GDK-V OC), Ramagundam Area-l and acquire the Petitioners lands by passing a Consent Award in accordance to the provisions of the RFCTLARR Act,2013 and the Telangana (Amendment) Act, 2017,^pending disposal of the above Writ Petition

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Counsel for the Petitioner: SRI M. VENUGOPAL RAO

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Counsel for the Respondent Nos. 1,3&4: GP FOR LAND ACQUISITION Counsel for the Respondent Nos. 2&5: SRI P. SRI HARSHA REDDY, SC The Court made the following: ORDER

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THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE C. V. BHASKAR REDDY WRIT PETITION No.14518 of 2o24

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ORDER:

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This writ petition has been filed seeking to declare the action of respondent No.l in not considering the request of respondent No.2 to direct the District Collectors to pass Consent Awards for land acquisition for the Respondent No.2 SCCL as arbitrary, illegal and violative of the provisions of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (for short "the Act") and for other appropriate reliefs.

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The petitioners claim that they are the marginal farmers and they are eking out their livelihood by cultivating their respective larrds forming part of Survey No.37B in Must5rala Village, Ramagiri Mandal, Peddapalli District. It is the case of the petitioners that the said land has been acquired by the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) i.e., respondent the No.2 herein for public purpose ard on representations/undertakings being submitted by them for passing of consent awards, respondent No.2 being the requisition authority has agreed for the same and also

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addressed a letter to respondent No.1 vide Ref.No.MD/PS/H/30 dated 15.03.2027 to issue necessary directions to the District Collectors to pass consent awards, in the interest of trouble free and expeditious land acquisition and smooth transfer of land. The grievance of the petitioners is that despite the sarne, till date respondent No.t has not taken any steps to direct the District Collectors to pass consent awards in respect of the acquired larld.

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Learned counsel for the parties have fairly submitted that the issue raised in this writ petition is no longer res integra, in view of the order dated 23.08.2022 passed in W.P.No.24453 of 2027, wherein a learned Single Judge of this Court while allowing the writ petition, has set aside the Circular Memo dated 1LOI.2O2| and directed the Land Acquisition Officer to pass necessary consent awards wherever the la-nd losers are having no objection for the consent award or opting for the sarne. It was also made clear that under the . guise of that order, the authorities cannot insist for payment of land acquisition compensation only through the consent awards; and wherever the land losers do not agree for passing of the

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I I

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consent awa-rds, they are free to approach the competent authority for passing of regular awards in accordance with^law.

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In view of the same and since it has been stated that the petitioners herein/land losers have no objection for passing consent awards, the present writ petition is disposed of by permitting the petitioners to file their respective representations/undertakings afresh on the file of the Land Acquisition Officer, Peddapalli i.e., respondent No.4 herein for passing of the consent awards in respect of the subject land acquired by respondent No.2 and on ltling such representations/undertakings, respondent No.4 is directed to pass consent awards in terms of the provisions of the Act and deposit the compensation in favour of the petitioners as per the tirne stipulated thereunder.

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As a sequel thereto, miscellaneous petitions, if any,

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pending shall stand closed. There sha-ll be no order as to costs.

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To,

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SD/. K. AMMAJI ASSISTANT REGISTRAR //TRUE COPY// i- SECTIONbFFICER \

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The Principal Secretary Revenue (LA), Government ofTelangana, Secretariat State, T.S.,Hyderabad.

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The Chief Managing Director Singareni Collieries Company Limited. (SCCL), Singareni Bhavan, Hyderabad.

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The District Collector, Peddapalli Districti At Peddapalli. 4. The Land Acquisition Officer, Revenue(Land Acquisition) Department, O/o. The Peddapalli District Cotlector, At Peddapalli.

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