I N THE HI GH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA AT HYDERABAD HON’BLE MRS. JUSTI CE SUREPALLI NANDA WRI T PETI TI ON No.7250 OF 2026 DATE: 10.03.2026 Between :

Sode Ganesh and others … Petitioners A n d The State of Telangana, Rep. by its Principal Secretary, Environment, Forests, Science & Technology, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Secretariat, Hyderabad and others … Respondents

ORDER

Heard Sri B.Ramulu, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners and the learned Assistant Government Pleader for Forest appearing on behalf of the respondent Nos.1, 4, 5, 6 and 7, learned Government Pleader for Revenue appearing on behalf of the respondent Nos.2 and 8 and the learned Government Pleader for Social Welfare appearing on behalf of the respondent No.3.

2. The petitioner approached the Court seeking prayer as under:

“…to issue Writ order or direction, more particularly, one in the nature of Writ of Mandamus declaring the action of the respondents, more particularly, 4^th to 8^th respondents in interfering and trying to forcefully dispossess the petitioners from the lands under their cultivation from generations together adjacent to Forest Lands situated at Eppala Gumpu Village, Manuguru Grama Panchayati, Manuguru Mandal, Bhadradri-Kothagudem District, Telangana State without following due process of law is being illegal, arbitrary, perverse, contrary to the Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA), colourable exercise of powers, besides being violation of Article 14, 21, 46 and 300-A of the Constitution of India and consequentially to direct the respondents not to interfere and dispossess the petitioners from their lands in which they are traditionally cultivating from generations together adjacent to Forest Lands situated at Eppala Gumpu Village, Manuguru Grama Panchayati, Manuguru Mandal, Bhadradri-Kothagudem District, Telangana State without following due process of law by duly taking into consideration of their request / representation dated 13-11-2025 and further direct the respondent authorities to provide necessary Patta Certificates recognizing their continuous possession for generations together under the Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) and pass…”

3. The case of the petitioner in brief as per the averments made in the affidavit filed by the petitioner in support of the present Writ Petition is as under:-

i) The petitioners, belonging to the Scheduled Tribe (Koya Community), had been cultivating lands adjacent to the forest at Eppala Gumpu Village, Manuguru Mandal, Bhadradri-Kothagudem District for generations.

ii) The respondent authorities are now attempting to forcibly evict the petitioners from the subject property without following due process of law.

iii) Despite the petitioners’ representation dated 14.11.2025 seeking recognition of their rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, no action has been taken. Aggrieved by the same, the petitioners approached this Court by filing the present writ petition.

DI SCUSSI ON AND CONCLUSI ON:

4. Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners submits that, vide detailed representation dated 14.11.2025 addressed to Respondent No.3 herein, the petitioners requested protection of their livelihood and recognition of their rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Though the said representation of the petitioners is dated 14.11.2025, no steps have been initiated by Respondent No.3 to enquire into the subject issue and grant forest pattas in favour of the petitioners by duly recognizing petitioners’ rights over the cultivable forest lands under the provisions of the said Act.

5. Learned Assistant Government Pleader appearing on behalf of the respondents submits that though the representation of the petitioners addressed to Respon