Judgment

MITTER, J.:- This is a group of nine writ petitions challenging the vires of the Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963 (Act of 1964) as amended by the Kerala Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 1969 (Act 35 of 1969) with the object of preventing the State from acquiring lands in the possession of the petitioners in excess of the ceilings imposed thereunder.

2. The details of the holdings of the petitioners are briefly as follows:

Writ Petition No. 117/1970.

3. Petitioner company owns a block of land Ac. 2313-00 in extent out of which Ac. 1818-00 were planted with rubber trees, Ac. 30-00 with pepper, Ac. 5-50 with arecanut, Ac. 260-00 under cocoanut, Ac. 12-50 under paddy, Ac. 25-00 under nutmeg and fruit trees, the rest being jungle and waste.

Writ Petition no. 132/70.

4. Petitioner a citizen, owns land in Kasargod taluk consisting of Ac. 21-00 under cocoanut, Ac. 6-00 paddy land and Ac. 34-00 dry land. He also leased out Ac. 91-00 of land to tenants. He owns jointly with his brother an arecanut garden of Ac. 5-50 cocoanut plantation of Ac. 49-00 and cashew plantation of Ac. 25-00.

Writ Petition No. 133/1970.

5. Petitioner owned lands in Kasargod taluk Ac. 9-94 in extent which has been usufruct