Is political influence protecting Fatima Owaisi Campus from demolition? HC pressure mounts in encroachment case

The Telangana High Court was irked when government departments failed to submit details of the Barrister Fatima Owaisi Educational KG-PG Campus despite being given three months’ time. The court was unhappy with the replies provided by the school education department, the revenue department, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Vijay Gopal.

The educational institution is named after Fatima Owaisi, the daughter of Akbaruddin Owaisi, floor leader of AIMIM in the Telangana Assembly.  Allegedly, the institution was constructed within the full-tank level (FTL) area of Salkam Cheruvu lake in Chandrayangutta, a stronghold of AIMIM in Hyderabad’s Old City. The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) — which has been demolishing several non-residential structures on lake areas — has come under heavy criticism for not touching the educational institution.

The controversy has therefore extended beyond an alleged lake encroachment to questions over whether political influence has affected the enforcement of environmental laws. It is this political backdrop that has made the case far more significant than a routine land dispute.

The AIMIM holds sway over successive governments, as it commands a sizeable vote share in Hyderabad city, and ruling parties have often relied on maintaining cordial ties with the party to remain politically competitive in the city. The previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government maintained good relations with the AIMIM, and the present Congress government is also seen as maintaining friendly ties with the party, leading to allegations that it often escapes the kind of scrutiny faced by others.

This allegation has been at the centre of the debate over the Fatima Owaisi campus. Critics argue that the institution has been treated differently from hundreds of other structures that have faced demolition drives around Hyderabad's lakes.

In the present case, the HYDRAA was allegedly told to go slow as the matter was sub judice. Talking to THE WEEK, HYDRAA officials said that their agency had no role in the ongoing dispute. “The honourable High Court is examining the issue and has ordered the Revenue Department to submit a report on the status of the educational institution,” an official said.

During the hearing on July 3, the counsel for the school education department orally submitted that the Fatima Educational Institution had not been accorded permission to run its school from LKG to Class X. The counsel further submitted that the department had knowledge only of permissions granted for Intermediate, degree and postgraduate programmes. When the court questioned how the institution had been issuing hall tickets, the counsel said it must have been showing enrolments from other schools and colleges.

The irrigation department informed the court that a joint survey had been conducted to demarcate the lake's FTL and buffer zone, and it had sought a cadastral map from the revenue department to prepare a detailed report. The HMDA told the court that the matter was pending before the Lake Protection Committee, while the GHMC said the final notification process was underway following the joint survey.

Finding the explanations unsatisfactory, Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar gave the authorities “one last week” to submit the records of all permissions, municipal approvals and compliance reports, making it clear that no further delay would be tolerated. The judge also pointed out that the institution had been given ample opportunities to explain its permissions and approvals, but had never attempted to do so.

In an earlier hearing in April, Justice Shravan Kumar made it clear that admissions for the 2026-27 academic year would be subject to the court’s ruling on the legality of the institution's campus. He directed the college to prominently display details of the writ petition so that prospective students would understand the possible risks before taking admission.

The court's repeated expressions of dissatisfaction have also intensified the political controversy surrounding the case, with the BJP accusing the Congress government of shielding the institution because of its ties with the AIMIM. Responding to the issue, Telangana BJP president N. Ramachandra Rao alleged a collusion between the Congress and the AIMIM. He accused the Congress government of sending HYDRAA to demolish the houses of the poor while refusing to act against the college.

In a previous conversation with THE WEEK, HYDRAA officials revealed how an AIMIM MLA had tried to hinder their efforts to revive the historic Bum-Rukn-ud-Dowla Lake in Shivrampally in Hyderabad’s Old City. Political observers say the controversy has come to symbolise the larger challenge of enforcing environmental regulations without political interference.

Speaking to THE WEEK, senior journalist Telakapalli Ravi questioned how a trust run by the Owaisis could ignore environmental laws and build an educational institution on a lake. “Nobody should violate environmental laws. Since the High Court is hearing the matter, I think the court will come up with an appropriate order,” he said.