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2005 Supreme(Kar) 144

Karnataka High Court
BANGALORE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY - Appellant
Versus
SUMITRADEVI - Respondent
Decided On : 02-23-05
W.A. : 724 of 2002

Advocates:
M.Ram Bhat, Sujatha

Headnote:Limitation

       BANGALORE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ACT, 1976 - Limitation - Suo motu exercise of power - Act or Rules not prescribing limitation - No ground of limitation can be raised - But, such power should be exercised within a reasonable period - Thus, where site was allotted in 1978 and Notice for taking back site was issued in 1996 on the ground of suppression of material facts, the same is not exercise of power within reasonable period.

       [S. R. Nayak and Ajit J. Gunjal, JJ]: There can be no doubt that where no period of limitation is prescribed by an Act or the Rules made thereunder for the exercise of the suo motu statutory power, the exercise of that power cannot be impugned on the ground that it is barred by limitation. No period of limitation can be imposed otherwise than by statute or the rules made thereunder. But, nonetheless, the power vested in an authority to revise the orders of the subordinate authorities or to take any adverse action against a person suo motu, has to be exercised within a reasonable time.

       Cases Referred: AIR 1983 SC 1239 (Ref); ILR 1998 Kar 4000 (Ref); AIR 1979 SC 1297 (Ref); 1981 (2) ALT 280 -1981 (2) APLJ 158 (Ref).

       Delay and laches

       BANGALORE DEVELOPMENT (ALLOTMENT OF SITES) RULES, 1984 - Rule 13 - Delay and laches - Site allotted in 1978 - In 1996 show cause notice issued to the respondent stating that, she has suppressed the fact of allotment of site made to her husband - Held, there is unreasonable delay on the part of Bangalore Development Authority as held by single judge - No interference warranted.

       [S. R. Nayak and Ajit J. Gunjal, JJ]: The respondent had constructed a residential house investing more than Rs. 28,00,000/- in those days. The value of the construction of the building in the present day context would be manifolds. After the allotment of the site, she did, everything under the nose of the BDA. She had to seek several clearance certificates, permissions from various statutory authorities for the purpose of construction of the house and obtained permissions for civic amenities like water, electricity and sanitation etc. At no stage, any objection was taken by the BDA or any other statutory authorities like the BMP or other authorities. There is also some force in the contention of Sri Ram Bhat that it cannot be said that the BDA was not aware of what the respondent did after the allotment of site and she was put in actual possession of the site. On the other hand, the fact stated by the BDA in its statement of objections would indicate that they were aware of the allotment of site in favour of the respondent well-before it issued the show-cause notice. The BDA has not disclosed in the statement of objections as to when it detected the non-disclosure made by the respondent and came to know the fact that her husband was also allotted a site by the Chairman of the BDA on 28-4-1978.

       Cases Referred: AIR 1983 SC 1239 (Ref); ILR 1998 Kar 4000 (Ref); AIR 1979 SC 1297 (Ref); 1981 (2) ALT 280 -1981 (2) APLJ

S. R. NAYAK, J.

( 1 ) THIS writ appeal preferred by the Bangalore Development Authority (for short, 'bda'), is directed against the order of a learned Single Judge of this Court dated 19-12-2001 passed in Writ Petition No. 28479 of 1999.

( 2 ) THE facts of the case, in brief, are: in response to an application made by the respondent herein, she was allotted a site bearing No. 2268/c admeasuring 30' x 40' in HAL II stage, Bangalore, by the Chairman of the BDA on 28-1-1978. The respondent paid the value of the site and thereafter, lease-cum-sale agreement was executed on 26-2-1979. The respondent was put in possession of the site vide possession certificate dated 7-3-1979 marked as Annexure-C. The respondent has been paying assessment after she was put in possession of the site. In support of it, the respondent has produced a certificate dated 19-6-1981 marked as Annexure-D issued by the Revenue Officer, BDA, Bangalore. After the respondent was put in possession of the site, she mobilised funds and put up construction after getting the plan approved by Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP ). The construction of the ground floor was completed in the year 1983. Subsequently, she constructed first floor after obtaining permission and getting the plan sanctioned. It is stated that the respondent had spent more than Rs. 28,00,000/- towards the cost of construction of the house.

( 3 ) WHEN the matter stood thus, in the year 1996, the Deputy secretary, BDA issued a show-cause notice marked as Annexure-L, dated 12-4-1996 to the respondent alleging that the respondent has suppressed the fact that her husband had applied for a site and he was also allotted a site and this fact was not disclosed in her application made to the Chairman of the BDA for allotment of a site. It was pointed out that the respondent ought to have disclosed that fact in her application as required under the provisions of the Bangalore development Authority (Allotment of Sites) Rules, 1984 (for short, 'the rules' ). In response to that show-cause notice, the respondent submitted her reply on 30th April, 1996 stating that at the time she made the application to the Chairman of the BDA she was not living with her husband due to certain serious differences between the two and she was staying with her parents. She also contended that she was not aware of the application made by her husband to the BDA nor the fact of allotment of a site to her husband. She also contended that her husband was not supporting her on the date when she made the application to bda for allotment of site and she was not a dependent on her husband. The BDA did not take any immediate action after the receipt of the reply of the respondent to the show-cause notice dated 12-4-1996. According to the respondent, she believed that the BDA being convinced by the explanation offered by her in her reply dated 30-4-1996, dropped the proceedings. When the matter stood thus, the respondent received the order of the BDA dated nil, on 23-7-1999, marked as Annexure-N cancelling the allotment made in favour of the respondent and directing her to handover the possession of the site along with the building constructed thereon.

( 4 ) THE respondent being aggrieved by the order of the BDA, annexure-N, preferred Writ Petition No. 28479 of 1999. In the writ petition, it was contended that the Rules are not applicable to the facts of the case inasmuch as the allotment was made under the provisions of the City of Bangalore Improvement (Allotment of Sites) Rules, 1972 and, therefore, only those rules would apply; that the respondent did not suppress any material particulars required to be disclosed by her when she made application for allotment of a site and that she was not aware of her husband also making an application to the Chairman of the BDA or the Chairman of the BDA allotting a separate site to him and, therefore, clause (9) of Rule 13 of the Rules has no application; that the respondent at the time of making applic























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