( 1 ) THIS is an appeal against the order made by Govinda menon, J. , in Writ Petition No. 31 of 1952 by which an appellate decision of the estates Abolition Tribunal, Chittoor, was quashed by a certiorari and the decision of the Settlement Officer No. III, Chittoor, was restored.

( 2 ) THE appellant is one of the shrotriemdars of the inam village of Mokshagundam in the Kurnool District and the contesting 2nd respondent is a ryot named Poli reddi of that village. The dispute between them relates to the question whether the said village is an "inam estate" as defined in section 2, Clause (7) of the Madras estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act (XXVI of 1948) (hereinafter referred to as the Estates Abolition Act ). The appellant s contention is that Mokshagundam is not an inam estate, while the 2nd respondent s contention is that it is. Section 2, Clause (7) of the Estates Abolition Act defines an inam estate as follows :- "inam estate " means an estate within the meaning of section 3, Clause (2) (d), of the Estates land Act, but does not include an inam village which became an estate by virtue of the Madras estates Land (Third Amendment) Act, 1936. "

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