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2006 Supreme(Cal) 224

High Court Of Calcutta
Before: Ashok Kumar Ganguly, Aniruddha Bose, JJ.
SRI INDRA MOHAN SHILL - Appellant
Versus
DISTRICT MAGISTRATE - Respondent
C. A. N. 9183 Of 2004
Decided On : 04/13/2006

Advocates Appeared:
A.N.BANERJI, K.N.MUKHERJI, NEETU PANCHAL, P.K.MUKHERJI, S.K.Kundu, T.K.Majumdar

Section 11 of the West Bengal Land (Requisition and Acquisition) Act, 1948 bars the jurisdiction of the Civil Court to call in question any decision or order made in exercise of any power conferred by or under the Act.

Headnote:

LAND ACQUISITION - SERVICE OF NOTICE - SECTION 3(2) OF WEST BENGAL LAND (REQUISITION AND ACQUISITION) ACT, 1948 - SUIT CHALLENGING ACQUISITION PROCEEDING - SECTION 11 OF THE ACT - JURISDICTION OF CIVIL COURT - SECTION 9 OF CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE - SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY - DELAY IN FILING WRIT PETITION - WRIT COURT'S JURISDICTION TO EXECUTE DECREE OF CIVIL COURT - SECTION 11 OF THE ACT - INTERPRETATION AND EFFECT - DISTINCTION BETWEEN REQUISITION AND ACQUISITION - APPLICABILITY OF PRINCIPLES IN CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE - SECTION 9 - RATIO IN VORA CASE - RELEVANCE IN THE PRESENT CASE - JUDGMENTS OF SUPREME COURT ON CHALLENGING ACQUISITION PROCEEDING BEFORE CIVIL COURT - RELEVANCE AND APPLICABILITY - WRIT PETITION CHALLENGING REQUISITION PROCEEDING INITIATED IN 1987 FILED IN 2002 - GROSS DELAY - EFFECT - REPRESENTATION FOR JOB AND ADEQUATE COMPENSATION - RELEVANCE AND EFFECT - MERITS OF WRIT PETITION AND APPEAL - DISMISSAL OF WRIT PETITION AND APPEAL - REASONS - NO ORDER AS TO COSTS - URGENT XEROX CERTIFIED COPY OF JUDGMENT TO BE GIVEN TO PARTIES.

Fact of the Case:

Appellant challenged a judgment dismissing a writ petition that sought to challenge an acquisition proceeding under the West Bengal Land (Requisition and Acquisition) Act, 1948. The appellant claimed ownership of a portion of the acquired land and argued that the initial requisition proceeding was illegal due to non-service of the requisition order. The appellant also relied on two High Court judgments holding that service of the requisition order is a mandatory statutory requirement under section 3(2) of the Act.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the appellant failed to make proper factual averments alleging non-service of the requisition notice in the writ petition. The court held that service of notice is a question of fact and unless proper factual averments are made, it was not inclined to investigate that aspect of the matter. The court further held that a suit challenging an acquisition proceeding is barred under section 11 of the Act, which provides that no decision or order made in exercise of any power conferred by or under the Act shall be called in question in any court.

Issues: 1. Whether the appellant's challenge to the acquisition proceeding was maintainable in light of section 11 of the West Bengal Land (Requisition and Acquisition) Act, 1948? 2. Whether the principles laid down in Dhulabhai v. State of Madhya Pradesh and Sree Raja Anndregala Srinivasa jagannadharao Panthulu Bahadur Guru (dead) v. The State of Andhra pradesh and Ors. regarding exclusion of jurisdiction of the Civil Court were applicable in the context of section 11 of the Act?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. Section 11 of the West Bengal Land (Requisition and Acquisition) Act, 1948 clearly bars the jurisdiction of the Civil Court to call in question any decision or order made in exercise of any power conferred by or under the Act. 2. The principles laid down in Dhulabhai v. State of Madhya Pradesh and Sree Raja Anndregala Srinivasa jagannadharao Panthulu Bahadur Guru (dead) v. The State of Andhra pradesh and Ors. regarding exclusion of jurisdiction of the Civil Court are not attracted when there is a statutory provision like section 11 of the Act, which specifically bars the jurisdiction of the Court.

Final Decision: The appeal was dismissed, holding that the appellant's challenge to the acquisition proceeding was barred under section 11 of the Act and that the decree passed by the Civil Court was a nullity and could not be enforced. The court also held that the gross delay in filing the writ petition, coupled with the appellant's representation seeking a job and adequate compensation, further weakened the merits of the case.

A. K. GANGULY, J.

( 1 ) THIS appeal has been filed challenging a Judgment and order dated 9th July, 2004 passed by a learned Judge of the Writ court dismissing therein a writ petition which challenged an acquisition proceeding. The short facts of the case are that on or about 18th September, 1987 an order was passed under section 3 (1} of West bengal Land (Requisition and Acquisition) Act, 1948 (hereinafter called the said Act of 1948 ). An area of 1. 42 acres in plot Nos. 518 and 546/ 2456 in Mouja Kamgachi has been requisitioned by the appropriate authority. This was requisitioned for the purpose of maintaining supplies and services essential to the community, namely water supply scheme of Kamgachi. Thereafter the said requisition proceeding was converted into an acquisition proceeding under the provisions of the said Act of 1948. The appellant/petitioner claims to be the owner of a portion of the said land which was acquircd in the aforesaid proceeding.

( 2 ) ADMITTEDLY, the possession pursuant to the initial requisition proceeding was taken in September, 1987 and in 1991 the appellant/ petitioner filed a suit for declaration and mandatory injunction in Title suit No. 160 of 1991. In the said suit an ex pane decree was passed declaring that the acquisition proceeding being L. A. Case No. l (g)/85-86 was void, illegal and not binding upon the plaintiff and the defendants were directed by an order of mandatory injunction to dismantle the structure on the suit land within two months. In the writ petition, which has been filed prayers have virtually been made for execution of the said decree. The learned Judge in the Judgment under appeal, has set out various prayers, made in the writ petition and held that prayers a (iv) and (vi) cannot be granted and various other prayers also cannot be granted as the Writ Court cannot execute a decree passed by a Civil Court.

( 3 ) WHEN the matter was heard before us, the learned counsel for the appellant/petitioner argued that the instant case was initially started as a requisition proceeding under the said Act of 1948. lie further submitted that in all cases of requisition under section 3 (2) of the said Act, service of the order of requisition is a must and the learned counsel also submitted that no service has been effected on him and the order of requisition on the basis of which possession was taken in 1987 is illegal. In support of his cotention the learned counsel relied on two Judgments of Calcutta High Court in the ease of Tarak Nath Sen v. First Land Acquisition Collector and Ors. and also on another Judgment rendered in the case of Syed Faieyab Ali Meerza v. The Union of India and ors. Relying on these two Judgments the learned counsel submitted that in both the Judgments it has been held that service is a mandatory statutory requirement under section 3 (2) of the Act and in this case, service having not been effected the entire requisition proceeding is bad. Since the initial proceeding for requisition is bad. the subsequent acquisition cannot be sustained. This Court finds that the said case was a new case which was sought to be made out for the first time before this Court. This Court wanted the learned counsel for the writ petitioner to point out whether any such case was made out in the writ petition. The learned counsel did not succeed in showing before the Court that any such averment was at all made in the writ petition which was filed and out of which the present appeal arises. On the other hand, from the averment made in paragraphs 2 and 3 of the writ petition this Court finds that the averment made therein are totally vague. In those paragraphs there is no averment about non-service of the notice of requisition. Nor was it disclosed when the petitioner purchased the property. There is also no averment whether the name of the petitioner has been muttated or not.

( 4 ) THIS Court is of the opinion that service of notice is always a question of fact. Therefore, unless










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