Rachna Reddy Bollu designated as one of Telangana High Court’s youngest ever woman senior advocates.
She received an undergraduate degree in law from ILS Law College, Pune and enrolled as an advocate in 2005. She went on to receive her Masters in Law from the University of California, Los Angeles, after which she practiced in the United States for more than four years.
During her time in the United States, she worked with the Human Rights Project in the subject areas of Immigration and Naturalization Law, particularly asylum litigation.
Simultaneously, she was also a lecturer at the California International University, where she taught graduate and undergraduate courses for the Bachelors and Masters in International Business courses.
Returning to India, Bollu worked as an Assistant Professor at the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) for three years.
In 2011, she returned to litigation and began practicing again. She predominantly engages in land acquisition matters. Her practice is focused on the original side of the High Court, dealing with matters of constitutional law. She also participates in civil and criminal litigation.
“I look forward to working harder, and its more responsibility as a senior advocate, as a woman, and as someone who is younger than the rest,” she said.
The protests intensified, leading to relay hunger strikes, lathi charges, and the imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 144 for nearly three months. When the process was legally challenged, the High Court struck down GO 123 of the Telangana government.
Due to advocate Rachna’s initiative, the high court division bench headed by chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan on Thursday able to quash the controversial order (GO 123) issued by the Telangana government, provides for expeditious acquisition of lands from land owners for public purpose.
The court held that the GO bypasses the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
The Telangana government was misusing its power and was acquiring lands of the farmers from unfair means for the purpose of performing various government schemes, includes the Mallanasagar reservoir project and the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy lift irrigation project.
Advocate Rachna Reddy Bollu made the Rao government liable for the fraud they were carrying out and alleged for acquiring land from farmers by violation Central Land Acquisition Act-2013.
The problems began for the Telangana government when it notified 16,000 acres of land to be acquired for Mallannasagar project, submerging some 14 villages and displacing 20,000 people. Protests began when the villagers came to know that the government has no intention of acquiring land under the Land Acquisition Act 2013 passed by the Parliament, but instead it is proposing to acquire land rapidly within 40 days of notifying GO 123, even before formulating a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the construction of the reservoir or assessing its social impact.
Rao’s agitation over the advocate’s initiative was evident from his outburst in the state assembly, where he accused her of being part of a “gang” that was hell-bent on stalling irrigation projects. “This lady advocate – Rachna Reddy – goes to every place projects are proposed, whether it is the Sundilla barrage, Pamulaparthi project or Mallannasagar project. She spreads blatant lies on land acquisition among the people,” he said.
The rant left everybody astounded, including the advocate herself. “This is probably the first time a chief minister has taken a civilian’s name in the assembly,” Rachna told HT. “Nevertheless, there is no truth in Rao’s statement that the central act is riddled with loopholes. It is a completely fool-proof and well-researched law that provides relief and rehabilitation to people affected by land acquisition for various infrastructure projects.”
Many farmers raised their voice against the government and move the high court for GO 123. “Fighting this battle was akin to mixing social activism with the legal profession. I have been telling the farmers that land acquisition under a GO will not stand in the court of law,” Rachna said.
The Telangana assembly enacted a new law acquisition act – amending the central law – despite protests by opposition parties. “It is nothing but a replica of GO 123. But then, we can challenge it only after it gets presidential assent and becomes a law,” the advocate said.
Advocate Rachna said that she is not going to bow down during any pressure, she faces and said, “I may come under pressure in the coming days, but I am not scared. I will continue my fight for this just cause.”
Interestingly, Rachna had represented IAS officer Smitha Sabharwal, additional secretary to the chief minister, in her lawsuit against Outlook magazine. “I did argue her case in the criminal defamation suit filed against the magazine. But the case is now being handled by the advocate general, and I am out of it,” she said.
The Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), took her name during the Assembly session accusing her bitterly of “speaking blatant lies in court”, of placing serious barriers in the way of his government’s project which dispossess thousands of already distressed farmers of Telangana from their lands and villages.
Some supporters of the Chief Minister have taken to social media and have begun a campaign of calumny and character assassination against Rachana.
Three trolls – Aelikatte Shankar Rao, a former journalist who runs a Facebook page ‘Right Politics’, Srinivas Rao (alias Sawal Reddy) who runs the page ‘Point Blank’, and Sridevi Mantri – who are fans of KCR and support Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) have acquired notoriety for attacking any political dissent.
As a young educated person, Rachana is playing a professional role in the process that appears to be beyond the comprehension of the government and its troll army of supporters.
BY: AYUSHI BHUSHAN, 1ST YEAR, BA.LLB(INTEGRATED), BANASTHALI UNIVERSITY, RAJASTHAN
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