In a significant development, the Telangana High Court has sentenced Medak District Collector Rahul Raj to six months’ imprisonment for willfully disobeying its earlier orders in a property rights dispute. The court also imposed a fine of ₹2,000 on the senior official.
Justice K Lakshman delivered the order after finding that the Collector had deliberately failed to comply with specific directions issued by the court in connection with a land mutation case.
Dispute Over 2.22 Acres of Land
The case relates to a dispute over 2.22 acres of land in Survey No. 284/A/2 in Bonal village of Chegunta mandal in Medak district. Petitioner Nallavelli Lakshmi approached the High Court after authorities did not act on her application seeking mutation of her grandfather’s land and issuance of a pattadar passbook.
In August 2022, the High Court directed the concerned authorities to examine her application and pass appropriate orders in accordance with the law.
Collector’s Rejection Challenged
Following the court’s directive, the Collector rejected Lakshmi’s application based on reports submitted by the Tahsildar and Revenue Inspector. The reports stated that her grandfather, Ooshayya, had previously sold the land to three individuals — Gangayya, Narayana and Mallaiah — through a “sada bainama” (an unregistered sale agreement).
Challenging this decision, Lakshmi once again moved the High Court. The court then directed the Collector to issue notices to both parties, obtain documents related to the alleged sada bainama and any regularisation proceedings initiated by the purported purchasers, and pass fresh orders after proper examination.
The High Court had specifically observed that rejecting the application solely on the basis of the Tahsildar and Revenue Inspector reports was not legally sustainable.
Alleged Non-Compliance
During subsequent proceedings, Lakshmi’s counsel contended that the Collector had once again rejected the application without issuing notices to both parties, in clear violation of the court’s directions.
At the hearing, the Government Pleader claimed that notices had been issued to the petitioner. However, no documentary evidence was produced before the court. The Government Pleader later submitted that notices had been sent through WhatsApp, a claim that Justice Lakshman noted was not even mentioned in the counter affidavit.
Conviction for Contempt
Observing that the Collector had deliberately violated its orders, the court convicted Rahul Raj for contempt and sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment along with a fine of ₹2,000.
However, the High Court suspended the implementation of the sentence for four weeks, granting the Collector time to file an appeal against the order.
