HC refuses interim relief on GHMC expansion laws, seeks govt counter

Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Monday refused to grant interim relief in petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2026, and the Telangana Municipalities (Amendment) Act, 2026, and directed the state govt to file a counter.The amendments merge 27 urban bodies and municipalities within the Outer Ring Road limits into the GHMC, significantly expanding its jurisdiction. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin granted the state three weeks to file its counter and one additional week for the petitioners to submit replies. The petitions were filed by businessmen R Laxman and Rajamoni Raju from Tukkuguda municipality in Rangareddy district. The matter has been posted for further hearing on March 24.Territorial jurisdictionThe petitioners contended that the amendments fundamentally altered the territorial jurisdiction, governance structure and taxation framework of their area without adhering to mandatory procedural safeguards. They further alleged that replacing the notification-based ‘city' with a ‘core urban region' (CURE) led to the automatic inclusion of municipalities and urban bodies without institutional consultation or public objections. They termed this restructuring a ‘statutory bypass' of participatory governance. Senior counsel L Ravichander, appearing for the petitioners, argued that Article 243Q of the Constitution mandates that any alteration to a municipal corporation's status must follow constitutional provisions and be preceded by a governor's notification.Advocate general A Sudershan Reddy, representing the state, argued that legislation cannot be challenged in the absence of a constitutional violation. He also submitted that challenging a GO and challenging a statute stand on different legal footing, and sought time to file a detailed counter. Recording the submissions, the bench issued directions accordingly and adjourned the matter.