( 1 ) THE petitioner alleging to be the owner of land admeasuring 787 Sq. yds. in Ward no. 13, Jiyaguda, Hyderabad, filed the writ petition praying this Court for a writ of mandamus declaring the action of the respondents namely, Govt. of Andhra pradesh in Municipal Administration Department, Commissioner and Special Officer, municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) and Superintending Executive Engineer (G), MCH, in taking possession of his land without following any procedure under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 ( the Act ) as illegal and arbitrary. He also seeks a consequential direction to the respondents to restore the land or pay compensation to him.

( 2 ) THE case of the petitioner in brief is as under. According to him, the land in question was sold by one Mohd. Layak Ali Khan to Laxmanji who is his grandfather in 1959 by a registered sale deed dated 8-8-1959. Laxmanji bequeathed the property on 26-12-1974 in favour of the petitioner. By that date, the petitioner was a minor. The petitioner s mother representing him as guardian filed O. S. No. 3915 of 1981 on the file of the Court of the III Assistant Judge, city Civil Court, Hyderabad against Laxmanji for pe