HC lifts stay, orders booking of cases against Rosaiah in Ameerpet land case

In a major setback to Former Chief Minister K Rosaiah, the High Court on Monday lifted the status quo ordered by a designated Anti Corruption Bureau Court and directed it to initiate a probe against the Congress over alleged irregularities in transferring government land to a private party in Ameerpet.

The Court, while lifting the stay orders, directed the ACB court to book cases against all 14 accused of being involved in the case. The Court issued these directions following a complaint lodged with the ACB Court by S Ranga Rao, an advocate.

The ACB had registered a FIR on December 29 against Mr Rosaiah and 13 others following orders by the Special Court for Anti-Corruption cases. The ACB registered the case against Mr Rosaiah and others after the Court had said that a case can be made against the government had violated rules by withdrawing from acquiring land extending to 9 acres and 14 guntas located in survey numbers 26, 30, 41, 42, 42 and 44 and subsequently transferring this land to the persons named in the complaint.

The court directed the ACB to register cases against those involved under Prevention of Corruption Action IPC 406, 420, 409 under sections 11, 12 and 13.

Mr Rosaiah had allegedly denotified the said property in Ameerpet and handed over the property to a private developer for the construction of a commercial complex.

According to the petitioner, the land was bought by GN Naidu and a few others from the landowners in 1997 after the land acquisition notification was issued.

However in 2010, following a representation from Mr Naidu, the state government withdrew the land acquisition notification and handed over the land to the builder in an unlawful manner, the petitioner alleged.

According to the complaint, the State government had acquired the land in 1987 after paying adequate compensation to the then land owner. But subsequently, the man had allegedly entered into a sale deed with GN Naidu.

Since then, GN Naidu had tried three times, in 2004, 2005 and 2006, to rollback the land acquisition agreement with little success.

But after Rosaiah came to power, he managed to get a GO issued in July this year which effectively reversed the land acquisition causing the government substantial loss. The petitioner named Rosaiah and 13 others in his complaint.

Satyendra Prasad, one of those named as accused in the complaint, had moved the High Court challenging the ACB court order.