The High Court has ruled in favour of film director and producer N Shankar, upholding the legitimacy of a land allotment made by the government. The court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the allocation of the land to Shankar. The land in question, five acres situated in Mokila, Sankarapalli in Ranga Reddy district, was granted to Shankar in 2019 by the government. The allocation was made with the intention of facilitating the construction of a film studio. However, a PIL was filed in 2020 by J Shankar, a resident of Dharmapuri in Jagtial district. He claimed that the allotment of land at a rate of just Rs 5 lakh per acre was unconstitutional, considering the rate was significantly below the market value. After thorough consideration and extensive hearings, a bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji reached a decision. The court acknowledged that a definite policy on land allotments by the government would be ideal.
