HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Friday reserved its judgment in the case filed by IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao seeking quashing of the case filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Chennai Bench, by Congress leader and MP, A Revanth Reddy relating to a farmhouse which he uses, constructed at Janwad/Mirzaguda village of Shankarpalli mandal in Rangareddy district.
A Bench comprising Justice A Rajashekar Reddy and Justice P Naveen Rao heard the arguments of senior counsel S Niranjan Reddy on behalf of Rama Rao, Raghuram on behalf of land owner Pradeep Reddy, and S S Prasad on behalf of Revanth Reddy. The HC, in its interim order on June 10, 2020 had stayed the order passed by the NGT constituting a committee of experts to visit the farmhouse and submit a report on violations if any and consequent action.
Niranjan Reddy, in his arguments submitted that the application filed by Revanth before NGT, had a malicious intent of dragging the Minister into the proceedings despite being aware that he was not the owner of the land and that he had taken the farmhouse on lease. He also contended that the application before the NGT is barred by limitation as it was approached after years of the construction. He sought quashing of the proceedings before NGT to the extent of Rama Rao.
Raghuram, in his submissions stated that his petitioner Pradeep Reddy, who is the actual land owner, has not been made party to the proceedings before NGT. Therefore, the question of his client approaching the Supreme Court as an alternative remedy did not arise.
S S Prasad refuted the charges of malafide intent on Revanth Reddy’s part in initiating the proceedings before NGT. He said that this client became aware about the illegal construction in the catchment area of Himayatsagar and Osmansagar in February, 2020. When he went to visit the site, he was detained by the police and sent to jail for 14 days. His client’s intent was to protect the lakes, especially encroachment of lakes were resulting in huge floods. The Bench reserved its judgment in both the writ petitions.