The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on the Kancha Gachibowli land issue to November 16 after the Telangana government sought additional time to file an additional affidavit defending its position on the disputed land in Hyderabad.
The state government requested four weeks to submit the affidavit, but the court granted three weeks, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle. Karanam Shravan Kumar, appearing for the state government, sought the extension and said the government would use the additional affidavit to establish that the land does not fall within a forest area.
The hearing concerns approximately 400 acres at Kancha Gachibowli, where large-scale tree felling had taken place. The Supreme Court had earlier registered the matter suo motu after the reported felling of trees without the requisite permissions.
The dispute has brought two urban questions before the court: the legal status of the land and whether the activities carried out on it complied with the permissions required for tree felling. The state’s proposed affidavit is expected to set out its version on the land’s classification and its position that the site is not part of a forest area.
The court’s decision to grant three weeks, rather than the four weeks requested by the state, means the government will have a shorter period to place its additional material on record. The next hearing is scheduled for November 16.
The case is significant for Hyderabad because it involves a large tract of urban land and the regulatory safeguards governing vegetation clearance and land use. The Supreme Court’s suo motu intervention also places the issue under direct judicial scrutiny rather than leaving the dispute solely to administrative proceedings.
The available report does not provide details of the proposed use of the Kancha Gachibowli land, the number of trees affected, or the specific permissions cited by the state. Those details, along with the government’s position on the land’s legal classification, are expected to be addressed through the additional affidavit.
The proceedings will therefore turn on the material submitted by the Telangana government and the court’s assessment of the claims concerning the land and the tree felling. The Supreme Court is scheduled to take up the matter again on November 16.
