IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
ASHUTOSH SHASTRI, J.
STATE OF GUJARAT – Petitioner
Versus
VISHNOI BHARMAL HEMAJI – Respondent
Special Civil Application No. 3494 of 2011
Decided On : 03-04-2023
Constitution of India,1950 - Articles 226 and 227 - Tenancy Act - Section 84(C) - Bombay Tenancy Act - Section 63 – Land - Legal heirs - Revenue record - Challenged the legality and validity of the orders – Held, Court is also of opinion that in absence of any perversity or material irregularity, extraordinary jurisdiction cannot be exercised just to substitute conclusion arrived by an authority below - Here, no distinguishable material is placed before Court to question conclusion arrived at by learned Tribunal and further, a possible view also may not be substituted by invoking extraordinary jurisdiction and as such for aforesaid multiple reasons, Court is of clear opinion that no case is made out by petitioners - Petition dismissed
JUDGMENT :
ASHUTOSH SHASTRI, J.
1. By way of this petition under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India, State authorities have challenged the legality and validity of the orders passed by the revenue authorities below and to be precise, prayed for following reliefs:
(b) Your Lordship may be pleased to issue writ of certiorari or any other writ appropriate writ order or directions directing, by quashing and setting aside an order passed by the Gujarat Revenue Tribunal, Ahmedabad in Revision Application No. TEN.B.A. 67 of 2001 dated 27th February, 2009 and restore, allow and confirm the order passed in Appeal No. 2 of 2000 decided by the Collector who confirm the Tenancy Case No. 228 of 1997 decided by the Learned Mamlatdar & ALT on 29.05.1999.
(c) Pending hearing, admission of the present petition, your lordship may be pleased to grant stay of execution, implementation and operation of the order passed by the Gujarat Revenue Tribunal, Ahmedabad in Revision Application No. TEN.BA.67 of 2001 dated 27th February 2009.
(d) Your Lordship may be pleased to condone the delay in preferring the present Special Civil Application.
(e) Be pleased to grant any other and further relief in the interest of justice.
2. The background of facts which has been mentioned in the petition is that respondents herein are agriculturists of the land situated at village Nenava, Taluka Dhanera and holding Survey No. 31 admeasuring 6 Acres and 29 Gunthas and Survey No. 329 admeasuring 26 Acres and 22 Gunthas. Brother of respondent Vishnoi Vardha Harji had purchased the land from one Mahadev Sonabhai Patel and to this effect, entry has been effected in the revenue record being entry No. 442 mutated on 22.6.1976. It was found by an authority that purchaser happened to be a non-agriculturist and therefore, entry came to be rejected. But later on, on 30.7.1980, emtry No. 529 was mutated in the name of Vardha Harji and Hema Harji. It is the case of petitioners that Hema Harji expired, as a result of which legal heirs were mutated vide entry No. 712 dated 6.10.1987 and names of Bharmal Hema, Babu Hema, Bhagwan Hema and Jiva Hema were mutated and names of present respondent Nos.2 to 6 have also been entered in the revenue record by entry No. 858 made on 15.1.1991. According to petitioners, by recognizing only two persons, i.e. Vishnoi Vardha Harji and Hema Harji as agricultural labourers, their names were mutated in the revenue record after complying the proceedings under Section 63, but other respondents were not agriculturists and as such finding said situation, notice was issued under Section 84(C) of Tenancy Act upon present respondents. Hearing had taken place before learned Mamlatdar & ALT pursuant to said notice in which, Tenancy Case No. 228 of 1997 was registered and came to be decided by order dated 29.5.1999. Learned Mamlatdar & ALT had decided that respondents are not agriculturists and as such land was ordered to be vested with Government since there appears to be violation of Section 63 of the Bombay Tenancy Act.
3. Feeling aggrieved by and dissatisfied with said order, present respondents filed an appeal before learned Deputy Collector, being Appeal No. 2 of 2000 and after hearing both the sides, order passed by learned Mamlatdar & ALT came to be confirmed. Said order passed by learned Deputy Collector was made subject matter of challenge before Gujarat Revenue Tribunal by preferring Revision Application No. TEN/BA/67 of 2000, which after hearing the parties came to be allowed vide order dated 27.2.2009 and the Revisional Authority was pleased to set aside the orders passed by learned Mamlatdar & ALT as well as learned Deputy Collector and it is this order which has been passed by learned Gujarat Revenue Tribunal is made the subject matter of present petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.
4. Learned Assistant Government Pleader Ms. Jyoti Bhatt appearing on
Labhubhai Veljibhai Gajera vs. Secretary (Appeals), Revenue Dept. Gujarat State and Others
Management of Narendra and Company Private Limited vs. Workmen of Narendra and Company
A Tribunal must consider delay and established equity before ruling on tenancy rights; long possession and undisputed admissions can override substantial delays, ensuring justice is served.
The main legal point established in the judgment is that a delay of 43 years in challenging a revenue order must be sufficiently explained, and the failure to challenge an order before the appropriat....
The main legal point established is that unexplained delay in challenging an order and the validity of a land transaction under the Tenancy Act can lead to the rejection of the appeal.
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