Petitioners are persons in whose favour an extent of 4 acres of agricultural land each in Sy. Nos. 92/2, 92/1 and 92/3 of Meesiganahalli in Kundana Hobli, Bangalore Rural District had been granted free of cost as persons belonging to Scheduled Caste Community in terms of a grant order dated 30-4-1963. Each of the petitioners had sold such lands within a couple of years though in terms of the grant order it had conditioned that the petitioners cannot part with the granted lands for periods ranging from 10 to 15 years.

2. The contesting respondents in these petitions viz., respondents 3, 4 and 5 in W.P. No. 1916 of 2005, respondents 3 and 4 in W.P. Nos. 1917 of 2005 and 1918 of 2005 who were the latest purchasers in a series of transactions and who were in possession of the respective lands in question, had been put on notice by the Assistant Commissioner in the year 1998-1999 at the instance of the petitioners who had moved the Assistant Commissioner for invalidation of such sale transaction for resumption of the lands to the State and restitution of the same to the petitioners/original grantees, in their applications under Section 5 of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Schedul