Due process, not a forest-land free pass
The Telangana High Court told forest officials not to interfere with an Ananthagiri Hills mosque and madrasa without following the law, while preserving action against encroachment on Reserve Forest land.
The High Court directed officials to follow due process while preserving action against encroachment on Reserve Forest land.
The Telangana High Court has directed Forest Department officials not to interfere with the peaceful possession, administration and management of Sunni Masjid Osmania and Deeni Madarsa at Ananthagiri Hills without following due process. The order, dated August 4, 2026, was passed by Justice Surepalli Nanda in W.P. No. 24301 of 2026, filed by Mohammed Faiyaz Ali, the institution’s mutawalli. [Citation: court order]
The court did not settle the title or boundary dispute, and it did not authorise occupation of forest land. Its order expressly says the institution must not encroach on Reserve Forest land and preserves the department’s power to act against encroachment under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and other applicable laws. [Citation: court order]
Ali alleged that officials entered the premises during Friday prayers on July 17 and tried to obstruct worship and direct occupants to leave. The Forest Range Officer, Vikarabad, denied interfering with lawful possession or religious activity and said the department was acting to protect the Reserve Forest. The judgment records both positions; it does not find that prayers were actually obstructed or that forcible dispossession was attempted. The Forest Department has not publicly answered the court’s basic instruction: follow the law before acting.