Supreme Court nullifies preferential land allocations

The Supreme Court has quashed government orders that allowed preferential land allotment to MPs, MLAs, bureaucrats, judges and journalists within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, terming the policy as ‘capricious’ and ‘irrational’. The bench ruled that the policy violated Article 14 of the Constitution, highlighting the perpetuation of inequality.

The court criticized the state’s policy of promoting a system of inequality and underlined that the preferential treatment wrongly provided material benefits to privileged groups. It denounced this approach as an abuse of power aimed at favoring wealthy sections, while ignoring the rights of ordinary citizens.

The judgment, which upheld an earlier judgment of the Telangana High Court, quashed the allotment of land at reduced rates and ordered cancellation of executed lease deeds. The judgment underlined the significant economic implications for the public purse and emphasized the need to align such policies with standards of constitutional justice and equality.

(With input from agencies.)