ALLADI KUPPUSWAMY, J.

( 1 ) THE petitioner is a president of a Society Sadar Anjuma Ahmediyya, Hyderabad. Ahmadiyya is a sect or the denomination of Islam religion and is a minority community which maintains its own religious institutions.

( 2 ) THE case of the petitioner is that the Society entered into an agreement to purchase S. Nos. 294 to 302 of the extent of Ac. 76-00 in Attapur village, Rangareddy District at the rate of Rs. 2,500. 00 per acre and paid Rs. 1,60. 000. 00 to the vendors from time to time towards the sale price. The Society was put in possession of the land and also constructed a building at a cost of Rs. 50,000. 00 in the year 1967 for the purpose of carrying on religious activities. Out of this land, the land bearing S. Nos. 294 to 300 was notified for acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act and the notification under S. 4 of the Land Acquisition Act dated 10-3-1971 was published in the Gazette on 25-3-1971. On the same day, a notification under Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act was also published. Representations were made to the State Government not to acquire the land as it belongs to a minority sect and was used for religious purposes. In view of this representation, the case of the petitioner is that the acquisition proceedings were dropped in the year 1974 and a memorandum to that effect dated 20-10-1974 was issued by the Government the 1st respondent herein. The petitioner however was surprised that proceedings under the land Acquisition Act were started again on 26-3-1979. The Society gave a representation to the Special Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition (General), Hyderabad that he had no jurisdiction to continue the land acquisition proceedings. It was contended inter alia before him that as the land formed part of Ranga Reddy District, he had no jurisdiction to continue the land acquisition proceedings. This contention was rejected by the 2nd respondent by his order dated 23-4-1979. The petitioner thereupon filed this Writ Petition praying for the issue of an appropriate direction directing the 2nd respondent to forbear from proceeding under the Land Acquisition Act with regard to the acquisition of S. Nos. 294 to 300 in Attapur Village measuring Ac. 64-15 guntas. Sri A. Venkata Ramana, the learned counsel for the petitioner has urged the following contentions before us: (i) The land acquisition proceedings were dropped in 1974 and the respondents had no jurisdiction proceedings. The Land could not be acquired without fresh notifications under Section 4 and 6 of the Land Acquisition Act. (ii) The land acquisition proceedings are violative of the fundamental rights 9f the petitioner Society granted under Article 26 of the Constitution of India. (iii) There was no public notice of the substance of the notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act at a convenient place in the locality as required by Section 4 (1) of the land Acquisition Act and hence the acquisition proceedings are illegal. (iv) Even though the notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act was published on 25-3-1971 no proceedings under the Land Acquisition Act were taken until 1979 and in view of this enormous delay the proceedings are illegal and are liable to be quashed. (v) The Special Deputy Collector, Hyderabad who is the 2nd respondent herein has no jurisdiction to continue the land acquisition proceedings as the land is situated in Ranga Reddy District. CONTENTION I : - The first and main contention is that the land acquisition proceedings were dropped even in 1974 and hence proceedings cannot be taken in pursuance of the earlier notifications of 1971 without issuing fresh notifications. The respondents deny that the land acquisition proceedings were dropped. In any event, it is contended that until and unless there is a notification cancelling the earlier notification or withdrawing the land from the acquisition proceedings, the original, notification continues to be in force and proceedings

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