The petitioner, the Pureiromba Deity of Lamlai village through its Shebait Angom Atomchouba Singh has filed this application for the issue of a writ of certiorari for quashing the order of acquisition of a portion of the land belonging to the said deity in Lamlai village.

2. The petitioners case is as follows :

The land under Dag No. 10/11 (old) which is the same as Dag No. 38 (new) measuring about 3 bighas in Lamlai village, Khabam Pana, Imphal East Tahsil in which the temple of the Deity Lainingthou Pureiromba is situated, is a revenue-free land and it is entered under the name of Lai Ibungo Pureiromba Bannya Devata in the record-of-rights of the said land maintained in the Revenue Department of the Manipur Administration based on the Chitha and the field map. The said land is held sacred by the people of Angom clan, who worshipped the said deity and who considered the deity as the progenitor of the clan. Every year Chaklon Katpa ceremony of the said deity is performed by the people of Angom Sagei and the Maharajah of Manipur and the villagers assembled with their offerings in the said land and Laiharaoba of the said deity was also performed annually in the said land.

The land