High Court Refuses to Stall Metro Airport Works

The Telangana High Court on August 5 refused to stop ongoing work on Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase II while it continues to hear public interest litigation challenging the project’s route through parts of the city’s old heritage zones. The bench declined to grant interim relief sought by petitioners who had asked for construction to be halted until statutory clearances and impact assessments were examined. The case concerns the airport-bound corridor of the metro expansion, including the MGBS-to-Chandrayangutta stretch that petitioners say passes through or near notified heritage areas. The next hearing is scheduled for August 27, according to multiple local reports. ### Which metro works did the court allow to continue? Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase II includes the airport corridor, and the litigation now before the court focuses on Corridor VI and related works on the route toward Shamshabad airport. Petitioners asked the court to direct authorities to stop ongoing construction and associated works while the legality of permissions and the route alignment is tested. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The state government told the court that it was following the statutory process for permissions concerning heritage structures along the Phase II alignment from MGBS to Chandrayangutta. Government lawyers said work affecting such structures would proceed only after approvals were obtained, according to Deccan Chronicle’s report of the hearing. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### What are the petitioners challenging in court? Advocate Immaneni Rama Rao, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the metro project was moving ahead without the mandatory heritage-protection framework being followed, The Hans India reported. The petitions say the alignment runs through the Charminar Heritage Precinct, the Falaknuma Heritage Precinct and other notified areas, and they seek either a halt or an alternative route. (deccanchronicle.com) The Act Public Welfare Foundation has been identified in earlier reporting as one of the petitioners pressing the court to require detailed drawings and disclosures on structures that could be affected. In November 2025, the court directed HMDA, the Hyderabad Heritage Conservation Committee and Hyderabad Airport Metro to submit a detailed graph or drawing showing heritage structures likely to be affected by the alignment. (thehansindia.com) ### Why did the judges refuse an immediate stop-work order? The Telangana High Court said it would continue hearing the petitions “to come to a considered opinion,” but did not issue any interim order stopping the work, Times of India reported. That left the project free to continue during the pendency of the case. (newsmeter.in) A Supreme Court bench had earlier dismissed a separate plea seeking to halt Hyderabad Metro Phase II works and said concerns over heritage structures should be raised before the Telangana High Court, according to Siasat.com. That earlier order did not resolve the merits of the heritage challenge now being heard in the state high court, but it left the High Court as the main forum for the dispute. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### What has the court asked for before? On February 4, 2026, Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin directed the state government and Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited to file detailed affidavits on permissions and construction activity near heritage structures, Telangana Today and The New Indian Express reported. Those directions followed allegations that the project could violate the Telangana Heritage Act if work moved ahead without required approvals. (siasat.com) On November 6, 2025, the court also asked Hyderabad Airport Metro to submit a detailed alignment sketch highlighting heritage and religious structures along the Old City stretch, according to Times of India. Those earlier directions show the court has been seeking route-specific material rather than immediately freezing the project. (telanganatoday.com) ### What happens next in the case? August 27 is the next listed hearing date in most English-language reports, though one Telugu-language report said the matter was adjourned to August 24. At the next hearing, the court is expected to continue examining the petitions, the route alignment and the status of statutory permissions involving the state government, HMDA, the Hyderabad Heritage Conservation Committee and Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The project will continue in the meantime unless the court issues a later order changing that position. Any updated filing or cause-list entry from the Telangana High Court would be the next formal marker in the case, alongside submissions from the petitioners and the state. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)