The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on the Kancha Gachibowli land issue in Hyderabad to November 16 after the Telangana government sought additional time to file an affidavit defending its position on the disputed land.
The state government had requested four weeks to submit the additional affidavit. The court, however, granted three weeks for the filing, according to the report by Deccan Chronicle. Karanam Shravan Kumar, who appeared for the state government, sought the extension during Monday’s hearing.
The affidavit is expected to set out the state’s position that the land at Kancha Gachibowli does not fall within a forest area. The classification of the land is central to the dispute because the Supreme Court’s proceedings followed reports of large-scale tree felling across 400 acres without the requisite permissions.
The court had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the matter. A suo motu case is initiated by the court on its own consideration of an issue, rather than only on the basis of a petition brought by an individual or organisation. In this case, the proceedings place the reported tree felling and the permissions surrounding the land under direct judicial scrutiny.
The dispute brings together two administrative questions that often shape urban land conflicts: how a parcel is legally classified and what approvals are required before physical work begins. The state’s position is that the Kancha Gachibowli land is not forest land, while the court proceedings were triggered by reports of extensive tree removal across the site. The available report does not provide further details on the land’s ownership, proposed use, environmental assessment or the permissions cited by either side.
The case therefore remains at the stage of the state placing its fuller position before the Supreme Court. The additional affidavit will be the next formal submission in the proceedings and is expected to address the government’s contention that the disputed land does not fall within a forest area.
The Supreme Court has listed the matter for November 16. Until then, the court’s record will continue to develop around the reported tree felling, the permissions for work on the 400-acre site and the legal status of the Kancha Gachibowli land.
