A group of senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers — including Mr. Ravi Gupta, Mr. Tarun Joshi, Ms. Renu Goyal, Mr. B K Rahul Hegde, Mr. Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, Ms. Sowmya Mishra, and Ms. Swathi Lakra — along with Ms. Rekha Sharaf, wife of Mr. Umesh Sharaf, have filed three writ appeals before the Telangana High Court challenging an April 24, 2025, order issued by a single judge.
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The order, which came in response to a writ petition filed by one Mr. Birla Mahesh, directed a status quo on all land transactions related to Survey Numbers 181, 182, 194, and 195 in Nagaram village of Maheshwaram mandal, Rangareddy district. Mr. Mahesh had alleged widespread fraudulent activity, including document forgery, manipulation of official records, and the illegal transfer of over 26 acres of government and Bhoodan land. He also accused high-ranking IAS and IPS officers of colluding with local revenue and registration officials.
Challenging the ruling, the appellants argued that the single judge had passed the directive without serving notice to them or other affected parties, which they said violated the principles of natural justice. They contended that no justification was provided for such an expansive ex-parte order, especially when the writ petition’s main relief merely sought consideration of two representations dated February 19 and March 10, 2025, along with an interim directive for progress reports on the ongoing investigation.
The officers asserted that the court’s observations on alleged fraud were premature and delivered without hearing their side, causing serious prejudice and irreversible damage to their reputations and rights. They further claimed that the order extended far beyond the scope of the original petition, effectively treating a private grievance as a public interest matter under Article 226 of the Constitution.
In their plea, the appellants requested the division bench to set aside the stay on land transactions concerning Nagaram village and to issue any other appropriate relief under the circumstances.
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