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IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA

AT HYDERABAD

THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE LAXMI NARAYANA ALISHETTY

WRIT PETITION No.3110 of 2016

DATED:02.03.2026

Between:

Bharat Ram Nagala and another. …Petitioners

AND

The State of Telangana, Rep. by its

Principal Secretary,

Revenue Department,

Secretariat, Hyderabad and 6 others.

…Respondents

ORDER:

This Writ Petition is filed to declare the action of respondent

Nos.1 to 6 in allowing respondent No.7 to convert Mahadev Temple

land admeasuring 1861 Sq.mtrs, situated at premises bearing No.15-

1-652 to 656, T.S.No.21, Block J, Ward 49, Feelkhana, Begum Bazar,

Hyderabad (hereinafter referred to ‘subject property’), into respondent

No.7 private land as illegal, misuse of statutory power and public

property violating statutory laws and for consequential relief.

2. Heard Sri R.Steven Jaideep, learned Counsel for petitioners,

Sri M.Arun Kumar, learned Standing Counsel for GHMC, learned

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W.P.No.3110 of 2016

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Assistant Government Pleader for Revenue and learned Government

Pleader for Endowments.

3. Brief facts of the case as averred in the writ affidavit are that

originally, the subject property was recorded as Government Temple

Land in revenue records and in the said land, there was an ancient

temple of Bhola Shankar, which was constructed 300 years back and

the same was being looked after by a pujari by name Savairam Gosai;

that the said Savairam Gosai left to Kasi by appointing Rameshwarji

as Pujari to look after the temple and its attached properties; that the

said Rameshwarji blessed with one son i.e., respondent No.7 and 3

daughters; that after the death of Rameshwarji in the year 1983, the

respondent No.7 with a mala fide intention to grab the temple land,

has created a gift deed vide document No.1080 of 1959, dated

21.09.1959, alleged to have been executed by his father Rameshwarji

in his favour and his mother; that the said temple and the adjacent

land admeasuring 791 Sq.mtrs was covered by a compound wall and

was registered as a public temple under the A.P. Religious and

Charitable Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987 (for short,

hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’). As per the registered Muntakhab,

Rameshwarji was the possessor and Mutawalli and after his death,

respondent No.7 was continuing as hereditary Mutawalli and Pujari

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of the temple; that the mother of respondent No.7 expired on

11.11.1982, thereupon, the sisters of respondent No.7 inherited her

half share and all of them are in joint possession of the subject

property.

4. It is further averred that as there were occupants in the temple

area, respondent No.7 and his mother filed eviction petition vide

R.C.No.206 of 1981, before the Rent Controller and the same was

allowed and the occupants were evicted in the year 1983; that in the

year 1997, when respondent No.7 came to know that pattas were

being granted to the occupants of subject property, he filed

W.P.No.9249 of 1997, before this Court and the same was allowed by

this Court by Order dated 20.08.1998, holding that the said land is

the temple land and Government has no right to issue pattas to the

landless poor.

5. It is further averred that petitioners herein are the residents of

in and around the surroundings of the subject temple; that as the

original pujari of the temple Savairam Gosai was not the title holder

of the temple land, the question of inheritance by respondent No.7 on

the alleged ground of adoption does not arise; that in all the revenue

records, including Town Survey Register, the said land was notified

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as ‘G’ Temple Land in file No.A6/CA/450/2015 to an extent of 1861

mtrs; that on the application made by petitioner No.2, for furnishing

details of the subject property, the respondent No.5 issued a Memo in

letter No.B/3511/2015, dated 14.04.2015, stating that ‘as per TSLR

records the premises No.15-1-652 to 656 recorded as “G Temple” and

the extent was mentioned as 1861 Sq.mtrs’; that respondent No.7 in

collusion with Endowm