Telangana’s Section 22-A property dispute remained a major political issue in Hyderabad. Record errors affecting private land registrations have sparked government assurances, opposition protests and demands for an independent inquiry.

A land-record problem affecting property owners in Hyderabad and surrounding districts has developed into a major confrontation in the Telangana Assembly.

The controversy began after some owners visited Sub-Registrar offices to sell, transfer or mortgage their properties and discovered that their land appeared on the Section 22-A prohibited-properties list. As a result, they were reportedly unable to complete registration-related transactions.

Section 22-A of the Registration Act empowers state authorities to prohibit the registration of transactions involving certain categories of land. These can include government land, assigned land, endowment and waqf property, surplus land and properties covered by particular legal restrictions.

The provision is intended to prevent land that cannot legally be transferred from being sold or registered. The present controversy, however, concerns genuine private properties that were allegedly included in the prohibited list because of inaccurate or outdated records.

The problem surfaced as land information was reviewed and updated through the Bhu Bharati system. Reports indicated that some old entries had not been properly revised. In other cases, entire survey numbers were allegedly blocked even though restrictions applied to only a small portion of the land.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy acknowledged that entire survey numbers had sometimes been placed under Section 22-A despite a court order or government claim covering only a few acres. He assured owners that eligible private properties would be cleared for registration after verification.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy also acknowledged official errors and apologised to those affected. He cited Survey No. 403 in Jubilee Hills as an example: the survey covers around 1,288 acres, but issues reportedly related to only two plots, while the whole survey number was mistakenly prohibited. The government said that error was later corrected.

The government has directed district collectors to examine disputed entries and identify properties eligible for removal from the list. However, affected owners want a quick, transparent process because registration blocks can prevent sales, loans, mortgages and family transfers.

The Telangana High Court has separately sought the government’s response to a petition concerning public access to the prohibited-property list. The plea argued that the absence of reliable online information could mislead prospective purchasers.

The government’s admission of errors has become the foundation of the opposition campaign. BRS leader T Harish Rao has demanded an inquiry, a white paper and the removal of genuine private properties from Section 22-A. His party has blamed the Chief Minister and Revenue Minister for the confusion and hardship faced by owners.

The BJP has argued that correcting individual entries will not fully address the controversy. It wants a judicial investigation led by a sitting High Court judge to determine how private properties entered the list, who authorised the changes and whether deliberate manipulation or corruption was involved.

These claims of manipulation and corruption are political allegations and have not been established as facts. The government maintains that mistakes can be identified and rectified through administrative scrutiny.

BJP MLAs raised the issue during the Assembly session and entered the Well of the House while demanding a judicial probe. The government expressed readiness for a discussion, but BJP members insisted that an independent investigation was necessary. The party’s probe demand has also been raised publicly by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.

The Assembly’s Business Advisory Committee agreed to allocate time for a discussion on Section 22-A, ensuring that the property dispute remains central to the session.

The political divide is now clearly defined. Congress says inaccurate records can be corrected through collectors and the Revenue Department. BJP and BRS argue that an inquiry is required to establish responsibility and examine every questionable inclusion or deletion.

For property owners, the priority is simpler: accurate records, accessible information and the restoration of registration rights for legitimate private land. A transparent, time-bound review will be crucial to rebuilding confidence in Telangana’s land administration.

What began as a technical records issue has now become a test of government accountability. Until affected properties are corrected and questions about how the errors occurred are answered, Section 22-A is likely to remain a political flashpoint.