In a rare and dramatic order, the Telangana High Court on Thursday directed the Indian Army to guard a privately owned, disputed property in Secunderabad. Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti said the court has “lost faith in the state” after HYDRAA officials repeatedly violated its orders.
What Happened
The court passed the order while hearing a contempt plea by Shanta Sriram Constructions Private Limited. The company accused the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) of illegally interfering with its property at Lothukunta, despite earlier court directions protecting the site.
Justice Jukanti said the court is conscious about not involving the Army in civil disputes. Yet he ordered deployment because state agencies failed to comply.
“Those sitting in the Secretariat should also know what is happening,” the judge said.
Army to Deploy by Friday
The judge directed the High Court’s Registrar General to contact the senior-most Brigadier with the Bison Division. He asked for ten Army personnel to reach the site by Friday, July 24.
“Let the Army personnel be deployed there. Let them take into custody anybody, including HYDRAA, coming into the site and put them in the barracks. Seize the vehicles also,” he said in open court.
HYDRAA Chief on Notice
The judge also warned that he could direct the Army to take HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath into custody and lodge him in an Army barracks for repeatedly defying court orders.
He noted that the officer had already violated court directions three times. “He thinks he is beyond everything,” the judge said. He called it a “contumacious interference in the administration of justice.”
Why This Matters
Legal experts say this may be the first time a High Court in India has ordered Army deployment to protect a private disputed property. The move signals deep judicial frustration with state agencies ignoring court orders.
For now, all eyes are on Secunderabad. The Army’s presence at the site and the court’s sharp warnings have set the stage for a high-stakes test of authority.
