Judgment

C.K. Thakker, J. —

1.Leave granted.

2.All these appeals are filed by the appellants being aggrieved and dissatisfied with the Judgment and Order passed by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh in various Letters Patent Appeals as also in Writ Petitions. By the said Orders, the High Court rejected the prayer of the appellants for quashing proceedings under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’) for acquisition of land being illegal, unlawful, mala fide and in colourable exercise of power by the State.

Factual background

3.To appreciate the controversy in the present appeals, it is appropriate to refer to the facts in the first matter i.e. Civil Appeal arising out of SLP(C) No. 2239 of 2006 (Sooraram Pratap Reddy & Ors. v. Deputy Collector, Ranga Reddy & Ors.). It was the case of the appellants before the High Court that the Government of Andhra Pradesh sought to acquire a large chunk of land in the name of ‘public purpose’ for the purported development of ‘Financial District and Allied Projects’. According to the appellants, the action has been taken in colourable exercise of power and in total violation of the Land Acqusition Act, 1894 as well as sever