Musab Hashmi & Associates practises in property and land matters in Hyderabad and Telangana, including possession and title suits, injunctions, partition, cancellation of deeds, specific performance, revenue record corrections under Bhu Bharati, Section 22-A registration restrictions, and notices from HYDRAA and other authorities. This page explains how these matters work. It is general legal information, not legal advice.
Property remedies have deadlines, and some are short: a summary suit under section 6 of the Specific Relief Act, for a person dispossessed without consent and otherwise than in due course of law, must be filed within six months of dispossession. Keep every deed, record and notice, and note the dates.
Areas of practice · Deadlines · Dispossession · Records and restrictions · Which court · Court fee · Settlement · Documents
Areas of practice: property disputes
| Situation | Usual remedy |
|---|---|
| Someone is threatening to enter or dispossess you | Suit for injunction, with an application for temporary injunction (Specific Relief Act s.38; CPC Order 39) |
| You were dispossessed without your consent, recently | Summary suit for possession within six months (Specific Relief Act s.6) |
| Someone occupies property you own | Suit for declaration of title and recovery of possession (Specific Relief Act ss.5 and 34) |
| A sale, gift or settlement deed was obtained by fraud or is void | Suit for cancellation of the instrument (Specific Relief Act s.31) |
| Family members will not divide joint or inherited property | Suit for partition (personal law; CPC Order 20 Rule 18 for the decree) |
| The seller will not register the sale after an agreement | Suit for specific performance (Specific Relief Act s.10) |
| The revenue record shows the wrong name or extent | Appeal under the Bhu Bharati Act, and a civil suit if title itself is disputed (ss.15 and 18) |
| Registration is blocked by a Section 22-A entry | Identify the clause and source of the entry, and the remedy for that category; a writ petition in some cases |
| A HYDRAA or municipal notice has been served | Reply to the authority, any statutory appeal, and in some cases a writ petition under Article 226 |
Many disputes need more than one relief in the same suit, for example declaration of title, possession and injunction. A court will not grant a bare declaration of title where you could have asked for further relief, such as possession, and did not (Specific Relief Act s.34).
Deadlines
| Suit | Period | Time runs from |
|---|---|---|
| Summary possession suit (Specific Relief Act s.6) | 6 months | The date of dispossession |
| Possession based on title (Limitation Act, Art 65) | 12 years | When the defendant’s possession becomes adverse to you |
| Possession based on earlier possession, not title (Art 64) | 12 years | The date of dispossession |
| Cancelling a deed (Art 59) | 3 years | When the facts entitling you to cancellation first become known to you |
| Specific performance (Art 54) | 3 years | The date fixed for performance, or, if no date is fixed, when you have notice that performance is refused |
| Share by a person excluded from joint family property (Art 110) | 12 years | When the exclusion becomes known to you |
Which article applies, and when time started, are often the first questions argued in a property case. A full table, including declaration and injunction suits, is in our guide to filing a property dispute case in Telangana.
If you have been dispossessed
- Within six months: if you were dispossessed of immovable property without your consent and otherwise than in due course of law, section 6 of the Specific Relief Act lets you sue to recover possession on the basis of your earlier possession alone, without proving title. The suit cannot be brought against the Government, and no appeal or review lies from the decree, though the losing side can still file a regular suit on title.
- After six months: a suit on title within 12 years under Article 65, or on earlier possession within 12 years of dispossession under Article 64.
- Urgent protection: where the defendant threatens to dispossess you or otherwise cause injury to you in relation to the property, the court can grant a temporary injunction while the suit is pending (CPC Order 39 Rule 1).
- Police: criminal trespass is an offence under section 329 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and an Executive Magistrate can act under section 164 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita where a land dispute is likely to cause a breach of the peace. These deal with the offence or the risk to peace; ownership and possession are decided by the civil court.
Revenue records, Section 22-A and authority notices
- Bhu Bharati records: under section 15 of the Bhu Bharati Act, with time running from when the order is communicated, an order of the Tahsildar or Sub-Registrar can be appealed to the Revenue Divisional Officer within 60 days, with a second appeal to the District Collector within 30 days, whose decision is final. Against an order the RDO made in the first instance, appeal to the Collector within 60 days, and a second appeal to the Land Tribunal within 30 days. Section 18 preserves the right of a person in possession of a right in land to file a civil suit for a declaration of title against anyone denying it, and the record is then amended in line with the decree. A mutation or passbook entry is a revenue record, not a title deed.
- Section 22-A entries: an entry on the prohibited-property list is a registration restriction; it does not, by itself, resolve disputed ownership. The clause relied on and the authority that supplied the entry affect which remedy applies. See our Section 22-A guide.
- HYDRAA and municipal notices: note the response deadline at once, and check the issuing authority, the provision relied on, the property identified and the stage of action. A writ may be appropriate in some cases, but it is not an automatic substitute for a reply or a statutory appeal. FTL, buffer zone and ownership are separate questions. See our HYDRAA notice guide.
Which court
- Where the property is: a suit for recovery, partition or a right in immovable property is filed in the court within whose limits the property is situated (CPC s.16).
- Hyderabad district or the surrounding districts: for property in Hyderabad district, suits go to the City Civil Court; for property in Ranga Reddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and other districts, which cover much of Greater Hyderabad, to the Junior Civil Judge, Senior Civil Judge and District Court.
- The lowest competent court: every suit is filed in the court of the lowest grade competent to try it (CPC s.15); which grade is competent depends on the value of the suit under the Telangana Civil Courts Act, 1972. The value limits for each grade are revised by amendment, so confirm the current limits before filing.
For court locations and how hearings work in practice, see our guides to the City Civil Court, Hyderabad and the Ranga Reddy District Court, L.B. Nagar.
Court fee
Court fee in property suits in Telangana is computed under the Telangana Court-Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1956 (text as consolidated to 2016), mostly on a fraction of the market value of the property: for example, three-fourths of market value for declaration with possession, and one-half for declaration with a consequential injunction. Valuation is frequently disputed and rates are revised by amendment, so have the valuation and current rates checked before filing.
Settlement
Under CPC section 89 the court can refer a dispute to arbitration, conciliation, Lok Adalat or mediation where it appears a settlement is possible. A Lok Adalat award is deemed a decree of a civil court, is final, and no appeal lies against it; where a pending case is settled there, the court fee paid is refunded as provided by law. Family partition disputes are often resolved by settlement, followed by a registered partition or release deed.
Documents to gather
- the title deed and the chain of link documents, with document numbers and registering offices;
- an encumbrance certificate for the full period;
- revenue records: pattadar passbook, Bhu Bharati record of rights, mutation proceedings;
- survey sketch, boundaries, and photographs of the property and any encroachment;
- property tax receipts and electricity and water bills showing possession;
- any agreement of sale, payment receipts and correspondence with the other side;
- for family property: the family tree, death certificates, and any earlier partition, will or release deed;
- any notice (with the date and way it was served), police complaint or earlier court order;
- a short chronology with dates, which is also the starting point for working out limitation.
Related guides and tools
- Property dispute in Telangana: remedies, deadlines, court and court fee
- Property verification checklist: 10 checks before buying
- Encumbrance certificate in Hyderabad
- Section 22-A prohibited property list
- HYDRAA notices: documents and legal remedies
- FTL and buffer zone check
Frequently asked questions
Someone forcibly occupied my plot. What civil remedy is available?
Section 6 of the Specific Relief Act allows a suit to recover possession based on your earlier possession alone, without proving title, if filed within six months of dispossession and not against the Government. A temporary injunction can also be sought under CPC Order 39.
How long do I have to file a case to recover my property?
A suit for possession based on title has 12 years from when the other side’s possession becomes adverse (Limitation Act, Article 65). A suit based only on earlier possession has 12 years from dispossession (Article 64). The summary suit under section 6 of the Specific Relief Act must be filed within six months of dispossession.
Which court hears a property suit in Hyderabad?
The court where the property is situated (CPC section 16). For property in Hyderabad district, the City Civil Court; for property in Ranga Reddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and other districts, the Junior Civil Judge, Senior Civil Judge or District Court, depending on the value of the suit.
The revenue record shows someone else’s name on my land. Have I lost ownership?
A revenue entry is a record of rights, not a title deed. Under the Bhu Bharati Act a Tahsildar’s order can be appealed to the RDO and then to the Collector (orders the RDO made first go to the Collector and then the Land Tribunal), and section 18 preserves the right of a person in possession to file a civil suit for declaration of title, after which the record is amended to match the decree.
Can the police remove an encroacher from my land?
Criminal trespass is an offence under section 329 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and an Executive Magistrate can act under section 164 of the BNSS where a land dispute threatens the peace. Ownership and possession are decided by the civil court, so a civil remedy is usually needed as well.
I received a HYDRAA notice. What should I do first?
Note the response deadline, keep the notice and proof of how it was served, and check the issuing authority, the provision relied on and the property identified. The next step may be a reply, a statutory appeal or, in some cases, a writ petition.
Can a property dispute be settled without a full trial?
It can be. Where a settlement appears possible, the court can refer a dispute to mediation, conciliation, arbitration or Lok Adalat under CPC section 89. A Lok Adalat award is final and cannot be appealed.
General legal information, not legal advice. Statutory provisions follow the firm’s property guides, checked on 20 October 2026 against the Limitation Act, 1963, the Specific Relief Act, 1963 (as amended in 2018), the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, the Telangana Civil Courts Act, 1972, the Telangana Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights in Land) Act, 2025, the Telangana Court-Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1956 (as consolidated to 2016), the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987; the Section 22-A and HYDRAA points follow the firm’s guides reviewed on 14 September 2026; references to a writ petition are to Article 226 of the Constitution. Court-value limits and fee rates are revised by amendment; verify the current position before filing.