The Telangana High Court has raised serious questions over the approval granted for a 35-storey residential tower being constructed near the historic Moazzam Jahi Market in Hyderabad’s Abids area. While hearing a petition challenging the project, Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy observed that a development of such magnitude in one of the city’s busiest localities requires careful scrutiny. The project, known as Meenakshi Elysia, consists of 35 floors along with two cellar levels and five additional podium levels. The court questioned how such a large-scale construction received permission in a congested urban zone and indicated that the matter deserved detailed examination.

The petition, filed by the Society for Crusade Against Corruption, challenges the building permission issued by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to Meenakshi Infrastructure Private Limited in August 2022. The petitioner alleged that the civic body granted approval without properly following the required legal procedures and without thoroughly assessing safety standards. It was further argued that several violations had taken place during the construction process, potentially posing risks to both the proposed structure and surrounding buildings. The petitioner also informed the court that another related writ petition concerning the same project is already pending before the High Court.

After hearing the arguments, Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy directed the High Court registry to tag the connected petition with the present case so that both matters could be considered together. The respondents’ detailed counter-arguments were not placed before the court during the hearing, while the construction continues based on the municipal approval granted in 2022. The High Court has now adjourned the matter to October 29 for further hearing, where the legality of the permissions, alleged procedural lapses, and safety concerns surrounding the high-rise project are expected to come under closer judicial scrutiny.