The Telangana High Court has directed the state government not to take coercive action against Madhavarapu Hanmantha Rao, the father-in-law of BRS MLA T Harish Rao, or dispossess him from 3.22 acres of land in Velikatta village, Siddipet district, until his petition is decided.
Justice N V Shravan Kumar passed the interim order on Monday while hearing Hanmantha Rao’s petition challenging a September 29, 2026, show-cause notice issued by revenue authorities. The notice proposed resumption of the land by the state government.
The court also directed Hanmantha Rao to submit his explanation to the notice within two weeks. The revenue authorities have been asked to file their counters in the matter. The case will be listed after the Dasara vacation.
According to the arguments reported before the court, senior counsel J Ramachander Rao, appearing for Hanmantha Rao, submitted that the authorities had issued the notice with a predetermined decision to resume the land and had not given his client an adequate opportunity to explain his case.
The petitioner’s counsel also argued that Hanmantha Rao had purchased the property long ago after paying the required market price. The petition sought protection against the proposed resumption of the land while challenging the revenue authorities’ notice.
The government opposed the plea through its revenue pleader. During the hearing, the government assured the court that no action would be taken until Hanmantha Rao submitted his explanation. It also stated that the response would be considered and disposed of within the period granted by the court.
The interim direction therefore keeps the proposed land resumption on hold while the administrative and legal positions are examined. The order does not finally decide Hanmantha Rao’s claim over the property or the government’s authority to proceed against it.
The next procedural steps are the submission of Hanmantha Rao’s explanation within two weeks, the filing of the government’s counter and the subsequent listing of the matter after the Dasara vacation.
