The Andhra Pradesh High Court has dealt a significant blow to the state government led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, over the controversial land allocation for Lulu Malls. The case was filed by Paka Sathyanarayana and is challenging the land allotment to Lulu Malls in Visakhapatnam, claiming the process did not follow proper bidding procedures. The court has also suggested that Sathyanarayana include the land allocation for Lulu Malls in Vijayawada in his petition, indicating that further legal action may be taken. The case has been adjourned for future hearings.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur and Justice Cheemalapati Ravi, reviewed the petition regarding the allotment of 13.5 acres of land to Lulu Group in Visakhapatnam at a reduced price. Sathyanarayana’s lawyer, Ashok Ram, argued that the land was allocated without an open bidding process and violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) guidelines. The petition also pointed out that although Lulu Group was initially allotted land through a bidding in 2018, the land allotment was canceled by the YSRCP government in November 2019.
The court also remarked that the state government had, in principle, agreed to allot land to Lulu Malls in Vijayawada, and advised the petitioner to challenge the government order (GO) for this allocation as well. This development raises questions about the future of Lulu Malls in Andhra Pradesh, with many suggesting that it may pose a significant setback to the Naidu government’s plans.
In Naidu’s previous tenure, there were significant efforts to establish Lulu Mall in Visakhapatnam. However, after the political shift in the state, the company moved its operations to Hyderabad. Last year, the state government once again allocated land for the Lulu Mall project in Visakhapatnam, but now, with the petition under consideration, the future of the project in the state remains uncertain.