Justice Juvvadi Sridevi of the Telangana High Court granted anticipatory bail to Municipal Commissioner P Ramakrishna Rao, who had been charged by the Cyberabad police following a complaint from HYDRAA. The complaint alleged that Rao had granted building permissions within the buffer zone of Errakunta Pond in Bachupally, under the Nizampet municipality.
The judge concurred with the argument made by the Municipal Commissioners Association, which stated that the TG b-PASS system had bypassed the municipal commissioners, assigning the responsibility of approving or rejecting building permissions to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).
Senior counsel V Surender Rao clarified that in cases where the building permission is for an area exceeding 1,000 square yards, the matter is transferred to the HMDA, and P. Ramakrishna Rao was unaware of whether Maps Infra, the builder involved in this case, had received the required permission. The counsel further explained that Ramakrishna Rao had even notified the HMDA that the builder was seeking permission to construct in the Full Tank Level (FTL) or buffer zone of the pond. However, the builder obtained relief from the high court and continued construction.
The judge found no fault with the municipal commissioner and granted anticipatory bail on the condition that Rao would remain available for the investigation.
In a separate case, Justice K Sujana quashed an FIR against MA Mukheem, which had been filed by the Ameenpur tahsildar in connection with an alleged encroachment on government land and obstruction of officials. The judge ruled that in such cases, public servants are required to file a written complaint before a magistrate.
