IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA AT HYDEABAD HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE LAXMI NARAYANA ALISHETTY WRIT PETITION No.4569 of 2026 DATE : 17.02.2026 Between A. Sudhakar Goud and others …Petitioners AND The State of Telangana, Rep. by its Principal Secretary, Endowment Department, Secretariat, Hyderabad and others …Respondents

ORDER:

This writ petition is filed seeking following relief:

“To declare the action of the respondents in issuing the impugned order passed by the 3rd respondent dated 04-02-2026 vide letter No. C/1419/2022 rejecting the application submitted by the petitioners to declare them as small farmers for the purpose of extending the benefits as envisaged U/Sec. 82 of the Telangana Charitable and Hindu Religious Institution and Endowments Act, 1987 and to continue the leasehold rights of the petitioners in respect the temple lands in Sy.No. 322 admeasuring Ac.11-02 guntas and 322/1 admeasuring Ac12-03 guntas at Tippaipally village Pebbair Mandal Wanaparthy District, and in proceeding to conduct auction of the above temple lands though the petitioners are small farmers and though the Honble High Court by order dated 18-11-2025 in W.P.No. 34858/2025, set aside the earlier auction notice, as illegal, arbitrary and for consequential relief.”

2. Heard Sri M. Damodar Reddy, learned counsel for the petitioners, learned Government for Endowments for respondent Nos.1 to 3 and Sri Ch. Satish Kumar, learned Standing counsel for respondent No.4.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioners would submit that petitioners are the small farmers and are landless poor persons and are cultivating the dry land admeasuring Ac.11-02 gts and Ac.12-03 gts in Sy.Nos.322 and 323, situated at Tippaipally Village, Pebbair Mandal, Wanaparthy District (hereinafter referred to as “the subject land”), which belongs to respondent No.4 temple; that each of the petitioners have been cultivating less than Ac.2-25 gts and they have been paying land revenue to the Government and also lease amount to the temple; that petitioners and forefathers are lessees of the subject land for more than 100 years and their rights are protected under Section 82 of the Telangana Charitable and Hindu Religious Institution and Endowments Act, 1987.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioners further submits that the respondent No.4 temple threatened to conduct public auction of the leasehold rights of the subject land; that the petitioners submitted representation dated 18.09.2020 to respondent No.3 to issue patta to the petitioners in respect of subject land; that without considering the said representation dated 18.09.2020, respondents proceeded with the auction of subject land. Aggrieved by the same, petitioners filed W.P.No.34858 of 2025 and this Court vide order dated 18.11.2025, disposed of the said writ petition setting aside the impugned Public Auction Notice dated 30.10.2025 as well as the proceedings for conducting auction dated 06.11.2025 in respect of the subject lands and directed the respondent No.3 to dispose of the application dated 18.09.2020 within a period of three (03)

months as per Section 82 of the Act, 1987.

5. Learned counsel for the petitioners further submits that petitioners have submitted another representation dated 13.01.2026, with a request to respondent No.3 to conduct enquiry and declare the petitioners as small farmers and extend benefit to them under Section 82 of the Act, 1987. He further submits that in the impugned order dated 04.02.2026, respondent No.3 has referred to only representation dated 18.09.2020 and the representation dated 13.01.2026 has not been referred to. Therefore, the impugned order is unsustainable and the same is liable to be set aside.

6. Learned counsel for the petitioners further submitted that respondent No.3 had passed impugned order dated 04.02.2026, rejecting the request of the petitioners, without assigning any reason and without affording an opportunity of hearing to the petitioners and contrary to Section 82 of the Act