Indira Banerjee, J.

The petitioner Nos.1 to 16 are citizens of India and are doctors and officers associated with Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute. By eight (8) several registered deeds of Conveyance dated (i) 25th February, 1998 (ii) 22nd September, 1998 (iii) 23rd September, 1998 (iv) 24th November, 1998 (v) 30th December, 1998 (vi) 7th January, 1999 and (vii) 25th March, 1999 respectively, the petitioner Nos.1 to 16 purchased about 39 Cottahs of land at RS Dag No. 395, Mouza - Laskarhat.

2. The said land was originally owned by Panchu Mondal and Bholanath Mondal, both sons of Atul Chandra Mondal, in equal share and so recorded in the Record of Rights published under the West Bengal Estates Acquisition Act, 1953. The said Panchu Mondal and Bholanath Mondal appear to have sold the land to the vendors of the petitioners sometime in 1960.

3. According to the petitioners, the petitioners had caused searches to be conducted and also enquiries to be made from the office of the Land Acquisition Collector, South 24 Parganas, before purchase of the said land. Such searches and/or enquiries revealed that the vendors of the petitioners had clear marketable title and that the la