Special Lok Adalat at Telangana High Court Settles 37 Long-Pending TGRTC Cases

The decided cases included 32 writ petitions and two writ objections pertaining to TSRTC service matters pending before the High Court. In addition, three motor accident civil miscellaneous appeals (MACMA) were resolved and relief was provided to approximately 41 beneficiaries.

Supreme Court Rejects Ownership Claim Over Shaikpet Land and Hanuman Temple; Refer the case to the Foundations Court

The Telangana High Court dismissed the appeal filed by a private party claiming ownership over nearly three acres of land in Survey Nos. 139 and 140 at Shaikpet and Hanuman temple in Nanalnagar and held that such disputes should be resolved by the authorities under the law of endowments rather than civil courts.

Satyanarayana Agarwal’s heirs claimed that the temple was built by his family more than 120 years ago with their personal funds and not with any charity or public contribution. Therefore, it was not a public or foundation institution. They relied on the registered testamentary deed dated February 23, 1977, signed by their relative Srikishan Agarwal, which bequeathed the properties in favor of Satyanarayana Agarwal.

In 1997, a civil court rejected the claim. Private individuals, disturbed by the decisions, appealed to the Supreme Court in 2007 and the case continued until two days ago. A division bench comprising Justice K. Lakshman and Justice Vakiti Ramakrishna Reddy dismissed the objection citing various reasons as the private parties relied solely on the will. He noted that official records, including the gazette notification, recognized the temple as a charitable institution and that notification was never challenged by the plaintiff.

The bench observed that the real issue was the nature of the property (whether it was private or part of a religious trust) and the character of the temple. He stated that such questions fall squarely under the ambit of the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987. The Supreme Court ruled that the Court of Endowments has specific jurisdiction to decide whether a property is a donation and whether an institution is public or private. The court stated that there was an obstacle to the jurisdiction of civil courts in such matters.

Regarding the nature of the dispute, the Supreme Court has granted freedom to private parties to avail legal remedies before the competent authority/Foundations Court in accordance with the law.

HC Grants ‘Final Indulgence’ to Telangana Government to File Opposition on Municipalities Amendment Bill

The Telangana High Court has given a deadline of one week to the state officials to file counter-affidavits in a batch of writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Telangana Municipalities Amendment Act, 2026.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparash Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin allowed the plea for additional time, terming it as “final indulgence”, on the request of the deputy government advocate.

The petitions before the court seek an order declaring the amendments to the Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019, as well as the 2026 Amendment Act, to be unconstitutional, arbitrary and void. The petitioners argued that the amendments violate fundamental rights and are inconsistent with the constitutional framework governing urban local bodies under Chapter IX-A, especially Articles 243Q and 243U.

The petitioners alleged that the state failed to comply with the mandatory requirements under Article 243Q, particularly Clause (2), before enacting the impugned amendments. It was claimed that the work required by the Constitution was not carried out before the reclassification or restructuring of local bodies.