A Special Lok Adalat held at the Telangana High Court on Saturday to deal wth long-pending service matters concerning employees of the TGRTC settled 37 cases. The Lok Adalat Bench was presided over by Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar, who oversaw the proceedings aimed at expediting dispute resolution through mutual consent.
The settled cases included 32 writ petitions and two writ appeals related to TSRTC service matters pending before the High Court. In addition, three motor accident civil miscellaneous appeals (MACMA) were resolved, extending relief to around 41 beneficiaries.
High Court Dismisses Ownership Claim Over Shaikpet Land and Hanuman Temple; Directs Case to Endowments Tribunal
The Telangana High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by a private individual claiming ownership over about three acres of land in Survey No.s 139 and 140 at Shaikpet and Hanuman temple located at Nanalnagar, holding that such disputes must be decided by authorities under the endowments law rather than under civil courts.
The heirs of Satyanarayana Agarwal claimed that the temple was constructed more than 120 years ago by his family out of their personal funds and not out of any charitable or public contributions. Therefore, it did not have the character of a public or endowed institution. They relied on registered will deed dated February 23, 1977, executed by their relative Srikishan Agarwal, bequeathing the properties in favour of Satyanarayana Agarwal.
A civil court in 1997 dismissed the claim. Aggrieved by the orders, the private persons approached the High Court in 2007 and the matter was pending till two days ago. A division bench comprising Justice K. Lakshman and Justice Vakiti Ramakrishna Reddy dismissed the appeal by citing various grounds as the private parties only relied on the will. It noted that official records, including a gazette notification, recognized the temple as an endowment institution, and this notification was never challenged by the plaintiff.
The bench observed that the central issue was the nature of the property — whether it was private or part of a religious endowment — and the character of the temple. It noted that such questions fell squarely within the scope of the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987. The High Court held that the Endowments Tribunal was specifically empowered to decide whether a property was an endowment and whether an institution was public or private. The court expressed a bar on civil court jurisdiction in such matters.
With regard to the nature of the controversy, the High Court gave liberty to the private parties to avail of remedies before the competent authority / Endowments Tribunal, in accordance with law.
HC Grants “Last Indulgence” to Telangana Govt to File Counter on Municipalities Amendment Act
The Telangana High Court has granted one week as a last instance to the state authorities to file their counter affidavit in a batch of writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Telangana Municipalities Amendment Act, 2026.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin allowed the request for additional time, describing it as a “last indulgence,” on a request by the assistant government counsel.
The petitions before the court seek a writ of mandamus declaring the 2026 Amendment Act, along with changes introduced to the Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019, as unconstitutional, arbitrary, and void. The petitioners argued that the amendments infringed on fundamental rights, and were inconsistent with the constitutional framework governing urban local bodies under Part IX-A, particularly Articles 243Q and 243U.
The petitioners contended that the state failed to comply with the mandatory requirements under Article 243Q, especially Clause (2), before enacting the impugned amendments. It was argued that the exercise required under the Constitution prior to reclassification or restructuring of local bodies was not undertaken.
