Overview

• Acting on a suo motu PIL, a division bench led by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh asked which officer or department is legally empowered to permit rock blasting near Nyay Vihar in Jubilee Hills.
• The judges noted a gray area over permitting powers, observing that the Hyderabad City Police Act appears to authorize the police commissioner while approvals seem to be issued from elsewhere.
• The court sought assistance from the Telangana Mines and Geology Department to evaluate the environmental and safety consequences of razing hillocks in Hyderabad and across the state.
• Patel Engineering, identified as the contractor executing the blasting, was directed to be impleaded as a party to establish accountability.
• The bench expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s explanations, flagged the lack of clarity on alleged nighttime blasting, and recorded that Additional Advocate General Mohammed Imran Khan will file a counter affidavit within two weeks.