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2005 Supreme(Guj) 246

Gujarat High Court
Judgename :B.J.Shethna
DARABSHA SORABJI - Appellant
Versus
STATE OF GUJARAT - Respondent
S.C.A. 3314 of 1995
Decided On : 04/06/2005

Advocates Appeared: DHIRENDRA MEHTA, SIRAJ R.GORI

Headnote:Point in Issue :

       Revision - Concurrent finding of two authorities - Barred by limitation - Order of remand - Sustainability.

       Head Note :

       Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 227 - Gujarat Agricultural Land Ceiling Act, 1960 - Sections 20(2), 37 and 38 - Revision - Concurrent decision by two authorities - Barred by limitation - Order of remand - Sustainability - Additional Mamlatdar and ALT having twice decided and second time order confirmed by Deputy Collector that petitioner was not holding any excess land, Tribunal entertained revision against the said judgment though it was barred by period of limitation of 60 days without filing any application for condonation of delay - Revision can be entertained by Tribunal only on existence of either of three conditions as required under the provision under Section 38 of the Act - In the case all the three contingencies were absent, therefore, action of Tribunal in allowing the revision is remanding back the matter to Mamlatdar and ALT for fresh decision is without jurisdiction - Court set aside the order of Tribunal and restored the order of Deputy Collector.

       Held :

       Once the matter was taken up in review or revision by the Collector then the order passed by him would be revisable under Section 38 of the Act only on three grounds, viz. (i) that the order of the Collector was contrary to law; (ii) that the Collector failed to determine some material issue of law; or (iii) that there was a substantial defects in following the procedure provided by this act, which has resulted into miscarriage of justice. However, the Revision Application No. 13/94, filed by the Deputy Mamlatdar (Revenue) against the impugned order passed by the Mamlatdar and ALT, confirmed in Revision by the Dy. Collector, was time barred, but without any application for condonation of delay the Tribunal entertained the same by condoning the delay and once again remanded the matter to the Mamlatdar & ALT, Bardoli, for his decision in accordance with law. Unless there was application for condonation of delay in filing the Revision late, the delay could not have been condoned by the Tribunal. Thus, on this ground alone the petition was required to be allowed.

       Only on three contingencies the Tribunal could have exercised its jurisdiction. When all the three contingencies were absent then the Tribunal could not have allowed the Revision Application and remanded the matter back to the Mamlatdar and ALT. [Para 5]

       Law Laid Down :

       Order passed by Collector in review or revision is revisable by Tribunal only on three grounds (i) Order is contrary to law; (ii) Failure of material issue of law; or (iii) Defect in procedure resulting in miscarriage of justice.

       Conclusion :

       When all the three contingencies were absent then Tribunal was not justified in allowing revision application and remanding the matter back to Mamlatdar and ALT.

       Case Referred :

       Mohd. Yunus vs. Mohd. Mustaqim & Ors., AIR 1984 SC 38.

       Decided in Favour of :

       Petitioner

       Petition Allowed

B. J. SHETHNA, J.

( 1 ) ADDITIONAL Mamlatdar and A. L. T. (Ceiling), Bardoli, by his order dated 12-5-1986, passed in Ceiling Case No. 23 of 1976, held that the petitioner was not having excess land. Therefore, in exercise of his powers under Sec. 20 (2) of the Gujarat Agricultural Lands Ceiling Act, 1960 (for short "the Act"), he ordered to withdrew the Notice issued to the petitioner. However, the Government was not satisfied with the said order, therefore, decided to take the matter in suo motu revision under Sec. 37 of the Act, under which the Collector is empowered to take up the matter in its suo motu powers. Accordingly, Notice dated 6-4-1987 was issued to the petitioner calling upon him to remain personally present on 24-4-1987 at Bardoli. After hearing the petitioner the learned Dy. Collector, by his order dated 4-5-1987 (Annexure : B) set aside the order dated 12-5-1986 passed by the Mamlatdar and A. L. T. and remanded the case to him for his fresh decision, in accordance with law. However, once again, the Mamlatdar and A. L. T. (Ceiling), Bardoli, by his order dated 7-2-1992 (Annexure : C) held that the petitioner was not holding any excess land. Therefore, he discharged the Notice and closed the proceeding which was initiated against the petitioner in Ceiling Case No. 23 of 1976. This time again the State Government took up the matter in Review under sec. 37 of the Act, and accordingly, the Dy. Collector, Vyara, in exercise of his suo motu powers, issued Notice to the petitioner and after hearing him, he dismissed the Revision Application and confirmed the judgment and order (Annexure : C) passed by the Mamlatdar and A. L. T. , by his judgment and order dated 31-7-1993.

( 2 ) SURPRISINGLY, this time, the Dy. Mamlatdar (Revenue) filed Revision application No. 13 of 1994 under Sec. 38 of the Act before the Gujarat Revenue tribunal, Ahmedabad (for short "the Tribunal" ). Though, it was barred by period of limitation of 60 days, without filing any application in it for condoning the said delay, the Tribunal condoned the delay.

( 3 ) BEFORE the learned Tribunal, it was contended by the petitioner that such a revision, against the order of Dy. Collector, would not be maintainable and even if it is maintainable then also it should not be entertained as it was time- barred and there was no application filed for condoning the delay. Alternatively, it was submitted that on previous two occasion the matter was taken up in mo motu Revision, and ultimately, even on remand the Mamlatdar and A. L. T. and the Dy. Collector, both concurrently held in favour of the petitioner that he was not holding any excess land. Therefore, such orders passed by the authority below could not have been interfered by the Tribunal in its revisional jurisdiction as the scope of revision application was very narrow and limited. However, the learned Tribunal while condoning the delay of 60 days, entertained the revision application and without dealing with the reasons assigned by the mamlatdar and A. L. T. and Dy. Collector in their orders set aside the same and once again remanded the matter to the Mamlatdar and A. L. T. for deciding the same in accordance with law and the observation made by the Tribunal by order dated 30-11-1994 (Annexure : E), which is challenged in this petition under arts. 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India.

( 4 ) LEARNED A. G. P. Shri Gori, appearing for the respondents, submitted that though the petition is labelled as petition under Arts. 226 and 227 both, but strictly speaking, it is a petition under Art. 227 of the Constitution and when the learned Tribunal thought it fit to exercise its revisional jurisdiction and simply remanded the matter back to the Mamlatdar and A. L. T. for its fresh decision in accordance with law as per the observation made by the Tribunal in its order dated 30-11-1994 then this Court should not interfere with the order passed by the Tribunal. It is true that the scope of Art. 227 of the Consti




















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