Judgment

K.G. Balakrishnan, J.—All these appeals have been filed against the common Judgment passed by the Full Bench of the Karnataka High Court in five Writ Appeals.

2. Under the Mysore Land Revenue (Amendment Rules), 1960 [hereinafter being referred to as “Rules of 1960”], certain lands were granted to members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Initially, these lands were given to them on temporary lease and later by virtue of Rule 43-J of Rules of 1960, these lands were given to them permanently with a restriction that the grantees shall not alienate these lands to third parties for a period of 15 years. These lands were granted to them during the period 1959-65. The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands), Act, 1978 [hereinafter being referred to as “Act 2 of 1979”] came into force on 1.1.1979. Section 4 of this Act is to the effect that any transfer of granted land made either before or after the commencement of the Act, in contravention of the terms of the grant of such land or the law providing for such grant, shall be null and void and no right, title or interest on such land shall be conveyed nor be deemed ever to ha