ORDER

1. The question before the Additional Director, Consolidation of Holdings, Punjab, was whether the land in dispute was a "shamlat deh" land and as such owned by the Gram Panchayat or it was owned by the proprietors of the village. The Additional Director came to the conclusions that the respondents were the owners and proprietors of the land. The Gram Panchayat challenged the order of the Additional Director by way of a writ petition before the High Court. The petition was dismissed in lifetime.

2. Sections 11 and 13 of the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulations) Act, 1961 (the Regulation Act) are as under :

"11. Decision of claims of rights, title or interest in shamlat deh. - 1) Any person claiming right, title or interest in any land vested or deemed to have been vested in a Panchayat under this Act, or claiming that any land has not so vested in a Panchayat, may submit to the Collector, within such time as may be prescribed, a statement of his claim in writing and signed and verified in the prescribed manner and the Collector shall have jurisdiction to decide such claim in such manner as may be prescribed.

(2) Any person or a Panchayat aggrieved by an order of the Colle