Explained: Why Telugu Superstar Nagarjuna Has Moved Telangana High Court Against State Authorities

The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) on Saturday demolished Telugu superstar Nagarjuna's N-Convention centre in Madhapur

The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) on Saturday demolished Telugu superstar Nagarjuna's N-Convention centre in Madhapur for allegedly encroaching land on the Full Tank Level (FTL) of the Tummidikunta lake. In a dramatic turn of events, even a Telangana High Court stay order also could not save the superstar's property. 

Nagarjuna Terms Demolition 'Illegal'

Following the incident, the actor took to his X account, and said he is pained by the "unlawful" manner of demolition carried out in respect of N-Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and court cases.

The N-Convention centre which was demolished yesterday, is managed by N3 Enterprises and jointly owned by Nagarjuna and Nalla Preetham Reddy.

"I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts for protecting my reputation and to indicate that we have not done any actions in violation of law. The land is a Patta land, and not even an inch of tank plan is encroached," Nagarjuna claimed in his tweet.

Nagarjuna claimed that he received no prior notice before the demolition was carried out. He further stated that with respect to the building constructed inside the private land, there is a stay order granted against an earlier illegal notice for demolition.

"As a law-abiding citizen, if the court before which the matter is pending had decided against me, I would have carried out the demolition myself. I am placing this on record for the purpose of correcting any public misimpression about wrongful constructions or encroachment by us," Nagarjuna asserted.

The Telugu actor further said he would be seeking appropriate relief from the court against the "wrong" actions carried out by the authorities.

What Did Telangana High Court Say

The Telangana High Court after briefly hearing the petitioner’s contentions, issued notices to HYDRA and other authorities concerned. While the authorities reply to the court, the court has granted an interim stay or status quo order on the demolition of the N-Convention.

A bench of Justice T Vinod Kumar granted temporary relief to Nagarjuna by staying the ongoing demolition activities.

The Telugu superstar filed a plea in the high court stating that HYDRAA officials, accompanied by approximately 200 police officers, entered the N Convention property and began demolition without prior notice, the New Indian Express reported.

According to the plea, the property in question was leased from Akkineni Nagarjuna in 2009, with the lease extended in 2015. Nagarjuna's lawyer informed the court that the property is a private patta land and is not located in the tank area, the report said.

According to the report, the petition states that the dispute centres around the fixation of the FTL, which determines the extent of the tank area. And the matter of the FTL and building permissions are still pending adjudication.

The petition termed the demolition as illegal, arbitrary and in violation of the principles of natural justice, as well as Articles 14 and 300A of the Constitution. Nagarjuna has prayed in the court that the demolition order dated August 8, 2024, should be declared as unconstitutional and requested the court to prevent any further interference with their property.