Overview
- A division bench of Justices Moushumi Bhattacharya and Gadi Praveen Kumar rejected writ appeals delayed by 460 and 488 days, filed by the Ranga Reddy district collector and the TSIIC managing director.
- The court found no explanation meeting the Section 5 Limitation Act standard for condonation, cited the Postmaster General precedent, and reiterated that condonation is an exception.
- Judges rebuked bureaucratic delay, said the State cannot claim a separate limitation period or act from a sense of entitlement, and emphasized the need for technology-literate officers.
- The dispute involves 6.22 acres at Silicon Heights, Manikonda, acquired in 2001 under the urgency clause, with later steps found procedurally defective by a single judge in 2023.
- The State’s reliance on election duties and welfare programme rollout to justify delay was rejected, as petitioners also pointed to unequal treatment compared with a 50-acre allotment to the TNGO Housing Society.