HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has questioned the authority of the police to determine ownership of disputed land, observing that such issues fall within the domain of civil courts and not the police.
Justice NV Shravan Kumar made the observation while hearing a writ petition filed by Mendu Anil Kumar, a resident of Thumkunta village in Shamirpet mandal of Medchal-Malkajgiri district, who alleged police interference in a civil land dispute.
Police role under scrutiny
The petitioner challenged the actions of the station house officer (SHO) and sub-inspectors of Shamirpet police station, alleging that they intervened in a purely civil dispute and decided ownership without jurisdiction.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate S Sridhar told the court that Anil Kumar had purchased a 133-square-yard plot in Thumkunta in March 2018. He constructed a compound wall and a small room, obtained an electricity connection, and regularly paid property tax and electricity charges.
Ownership dispute
Sridhar said a local resident, M Venkata Reddy, later claimed ownership of the land and allegedly occupied it unlawfully. Despite a formal complaint, the police concluded that the property belonged to Venkata Reddy based on a notarised agreement executed in 2023, and did not act on the petitioner's complaint.
"The police have no authority to determine ownership in civil matters," the petitioner's counsel argued.
After hearing both sides and examining the documents on record, Justice Shravan Kumar asked how the police could decide land ownership and directed them to file a detailed counter-affidavit explaining their actions.
The court issued notices to the Principal Secretary (Home), the Hyderabad Police Commissioner, the Shamirpet SHO, the investigating sub-inspectors, and M Venkata Reddy, seeking their responses.