Six-decade-old property rights can’t be revived through bogus suits: Telangana HC

The Telangana High Court ruled that land ownership rights transferred in 1967 cannot be revived through belated litigation. Court quashed an Ibrahimpatnam civil court order, observing that a 2020 suit filed without disclosing past transfers was invalid

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court held that property rights transferred six decades ago cannot be revived through belated and misleading litigation.

Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty observed that filing a civil suit in the year 2020 without disclosing the land transfer that took place in the year 1967 was invalid and unsustainable in law. Accordingly, the ruling of the Ibrahimpatnam civil court passed in favour of the petitioners was set aside.

22 Century Infrastructures and Projects Pvt Ltd approached the HC in civil revision petition, challenging the Ibrahimpatnam court order. The company contended that the civil court had ignored the Limitation Act 1968, which bars cases filed after unreasonable lapse of time. Without referring to the land transactions made in 1967, the transactions made in recent times were challenged in the civil suit, the company contended.

It said the rights lost through lawful transfers decades ago cannot be resurrected through bogus litigation and such attempt would amount to abuse of judicial process.

Conceding with the arguments of the 22 Century Infrastructures and Projects, the court allowed the revision petition, setting aside the civil court order.