Hyderabad court orders Nampally Society to vacate govt land

It also directed the society to pay Rs 3.01 crore as compensation to the Telangana Housing Board for unauthorised occupation.

Hyderabad: A Hyderabad City Civil Court has ordered the Nampally Vyayamshala Society to vacate more than 2,100 square yards of government land.

It also directed the Society to pay Rs 3.01 crore as compensation to the Telangana Housing Board for unauthorised occupation.

Violation of terms of the lease

The court found that the Society remained on the land even after its lease ended in 2004.

It also held that the Society had occupied additional government land without permission and violated the terms of the lease by operating a private school instead of a swimming pool.

According to court records, the Telangana Housing Board first leased 325 square yards of land to the society in 1957.

In 1959, another 894.36 square yards was leased. Both leases were granted for 20 years at a nominal annual rent of Rs 1.

In 1984, the lease period was extended by another 20 years, which finally ended in 2004.

Land not returned after lease expiry

The Telangana Housing Board informed the court that the Society did not return the land after the lease expired.

It also alleged that the Society had encroached on an additional 887.33 square yards of adjoining government land.

The Housing Board further stated that the lease required the Society to build and operate a swimming pool. Instead, it allegedly ran a private school and collected fees from students.

In its defence, the Society claimed that the additional 887.33 square yards had been allotted by the Municipal Corporation. However, Chief Judge S. Sashidhar Reddy noted that the Society could not produce any documents to support the claim.

Referring to Supreme Court rulings, the court observed that occupying government land after the expiry of a lease amounts to unauthorised encroachment.

Following the hearing, the court directed the Nampally Vyayamshala Society to pay Rs 3,01,36,920.

The court also ordered the Society to vacate the land immediately.