The petitioners filed the present writ petition seeking a writ of Mandamus declaring the proceedings of the first respondent in R.D is (E1)/22429/93, dated 24-10-1998, as illegal, unjust and void and for a consequential direction to the respondents to restore original mutation and entries in 10(1) revenue account in respect of the lands admeasuring Acs.31.90 in survey NO.53 and Acs.9.40 in survey No.55 (hereafter called, the subject land) of Umamaheswarapuram, now situated in Katuru village, Buchinaidukandriga Mandailin Chittoor District. The first petitioner is mother and petitioners 2 and 3 are daughter and son respectively of the first petitioner. They are statedly legal heirs of one D. Narappa Reddy. By reason of the impugned order, the settlement patta issued under A.P.(Andhra Area) Estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1948 (the Act, for brevity) to the vendor of Narappa Reddy became ineffective, as a result of which the petitioners alleged title to the subject land was not recognized. Hence, the present writ petition.

2. The brief chronology of events leading to filing of the writ petition is as follows. According to the petitioners, the subject land was