S. K. Jha, J.

All these applications under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India involve common sets of fact and identical questions of law. The petitioner in all these applications are the same. The contesting respondent is respondent No. 3, respectively, in all the applications. The relief prayed for in each of the writ petitions is for issuance of an appropriate writ quashing the initiation of a proceeding under section 48E of the Bihar Tenancy Act, (hereinafter referred to as the Act) by virtue of the order sheet (Annexure 2) to each of the writ petitions, and the notice issued to the petitioners in each of the cases has been appended as Annexure 3, respectively.

2. The short facts relevant for the disposal of these applications may be stated in a very narrow compass. Messrs Jute and Gunny Brokers Private Ltd. (petitioner no. 1) is a joint family firm of petitioners 2 to 5 who are said to be members of a joint Hindu family governed by the Mitakshra school of Hindu Law, of which petitioner no. 2, Sri Suraj MalMohta claims to be the karta. The entire land held and possessed by the petitioners has been described and set out fully in Schedule 1 of each of the writ