Hyderabad : Expressing concern over the safety of forest personnel and the protection of reserve forest land, the Telangana high court on Thursday directed the Bhadradri Kothagudem district collector and superintendent of police to provide security to officials guarding nearly 98 acres of disputed reserve forest land at Annapureddypalli, where members of the Koya community have laid claim to ownership.
Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti issued directions after forest officials informed the court that they feared for their safety while protecting the land, citing the 2022 murder of forest range officer Ch Srinivasa Rao in the district. In June 2026, the court ordered maintenance of status quo but made it clear that the petitioners should not enter the reserve forest area.
“We know how pattas are issued over forest lands, but we will not allow anybody to take over forest lands,” the judge observed during the hearing. This is not how they deal with the officers,” the judge said. Taking serious note of the concerns, the court observed that the issue involved both preservation of forest land and the safety of officials entrusted with protecting it. Referring to the killing of Srinivasa Rao in nearby Chandrugonda village, the judge remarked that genuine tribal communities traditionally coexist with and protect nature rather than damage forests. Following a virtual interaction with the district collector, SP and divisional forest officer (DFO), the court directed the DFO to formally seek administrative support and asked local authorities to extend all necessary assistance. The SP was specifically instructed to ensure law and order during efforts to preserve and protect the disputed forest land. The directions were issued while hearing a contempt petition filed against forest officials by persons claiming rights over the land under the Recognition of Forest Rights Act. The petitioners alleged that officials were preventing them from cultivating what they described as their ancestral lands. After examining the photographs, the judge questioned the petitioners’ counsel over attacks on officials performing their duties. “Please sensitise your clients.
Earlier, the petitioners had approached the high court alleging harassment by forest officials through the registration of criminal cases related to cultivation activities.