( 1 ) IN all these petitions under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution, the petitioner is the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Bangalore (hereinafter referred to as the 'board' ). The Respondent 1 in each one of these petitions is a different person who has obtained permission to convert agricultural lands for non-agricultural purposes viz. , for construction of buildings. Respondents 2 to 5 are common to all these petitions. They are : The Special Deputy Commissioner Bangalore. The Karnataka Appellate Tribunal, Bangalore, (for short the 'tribunal') The State of Karnataka and The D. L. F. Universals Ltd. , New Delhi.

( 2 ) THE petitioner has sought for a declaration that the provisions contained in sub-sec. (5) of S. 95 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 (Karnataka Act 12 of 1964) (hereinafter referred to as the 'act') are unconstitutional being violative of Art. 14 of the Constitution. In addition to this, the petitioner has sought for quashing the orders produced as Annexures-A to Y, in W. P. Nos. 19919 to 19954/82. The prayer made in W. P. Nos. 21172 to 21177/1982 is included in the prayer made in W. P. Nos. 19919 to 19954/82 inasmuch as Annexure-A produced in W. P. No. 21172 to 21177/1982 which is sought to be quashed therein is also sought to be quashed in W. P. No. 19919 to 19954/1982. 3. 1. The Board is a Corporate Body constituted under the provisions of The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Act, 1964 (Karnataka Act No. 36/1964) (hereinafter referred to as the 'bangalore Water Supply Act' ). Thippagondanahalli (for short 't. G. Halli) Reservoir is one of the major reservoirs vested in the Board with effect from 1-12-1964. It is one of the main sources of water supply to the Metropolitan City of Bangalore. This Reservoir is fed by Arkavathy river which passes through the lands situated in Gangenahalli, Varthur, Narasimhapura and Kurubarahalli villages in Magadi Taluk in Bangalore District. The catchment area of Arkavathy river, among other areas, also comprises of the lands in the aforesaid villages. 3. 2. The 1st respondent in each one of these writ petitions has purchased the lands in the aforesaid 4 villages. These lands are situated on the banks of Arkavathy river. After purchasing the lands and after a lapse of some time, each one of them sought permission in the years 1978 and 1979 to convert them for non-agricultural purposes under Section 95 of the Act. In the first instance, there were 36 applications. Thereafter six more applications were filed. All those applications were granted by the 2nd respondent, inasmuch as, in 8 cases, there were express orders passed granting permission; in the remaining cases - in some of them there were orders passed rejecting the applications and in some no orders were passed - however in none of the remaining cases, the orders were communicated to the applicants within a period of 4 months from the date of receipt of the applications Therefore, in the remaining cases, the permission sought for was deemed to have been granted under Section 95 (5) of the Act in the months of June or July 1979. 4. 1. According to the case of the Board, it came to know of the grant of permission for non-agricultural purposes in respect of vast extent of land lying on the banks of Arkavathy river in the month of September 1979 on the report made by the technical staff of the Board. The specific case of the Board is that by reason of the establishment of a township on the banks of the river Arkavathy close to T. G. Halli reservoir the water will be polluted and it will also be depleted as bore wells are proposed to be drilled in the area over which new township is proposed. Consequently the quality and quantity of water supply to Bangalore City will be adversely affected. The further case of the Board is that it is statutorily bound to supply water not only free from pollution but it is also bound to ensure sufficient supply of water to the residents of Bangalore; t