SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1978 Supreme(Raj) 313

RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT
S.C.Agrawal, J.
Smt. Raja Bai Through Her General Power of Attorney Holder, Shri Omprakash - Appellant
Versus
The Union of India (Uoi) & Ors. - Respondent
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 59/1973.
Decided On : 30-08-1978

The State Government cannot challenge an allotment order made under the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954, after it has become final.

Headnote:

DISPLACED PERSONS (COMPENSATION AND REHABILITATION) ACT, 1954 - SECTION 20(F)(C) - ADMINISTRATION OF EVACUEE PROPERTY ACT, 1950 - SECTION 7A - BIKANER STATE (ADMINISTRATION OF EVACUEE PROPERTY ORDER, 1948 - SECTION 2(C) - ALLOTMENT OF EVACUEE PROPERTY TO DISPLACED PERSONS - VALIDITY - CONDITIONS - INTERPRETATION OF STATUTORY PROVISIONS.

Fact of the Case:

The petitioner, a displaced person from West Pakistan, was allotted evacuee property under the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954. The State Government challenged the allotment on the ground that the Muslim Khatedars of the property had not migrated to Pakistan during the relevant period. The petitioner contended that the State Government could not challenge the allotment order as it had not been challenged under the provisions of the Act.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the State Government could not challenge the allotment order as it had not been challenged under the provisions of the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954. The court also held that the Muslim Khatedars had migrated to Pakistan during the relevant period, as evidenced by the Khasra Girdawari pertaining to the years 1951-52.

Issues: 1. Whether the State Government could challenge the allotment order after it had become final. 2. Whether the Muslim Khatedars had migrated to Pakistan during the relevant period.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court held that the State Government could not challenge the allotment order as it had not been challenged under the provisions of the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954. The court relied on the decision of this Court in Ishwari Prasad and Anr. v. Union of India, in which it was held that the State Government could not challenge the rights of the petitioner as long as the order of allotment stood in favor of the petitioner. 2. The court held that the Muslim Khatedars had migrated to Pakistan during the relevant period, as evidenced by the Khasra Girdawari pertaining to the years 1951-52.

Final Decision: The writ petition was allowed and it was declared that the petitioner was entitled to be put in possession of the lands allotted to her under the allotment order dated 19th April, 1963 and respondents Nos. 3 to 5 are restrained from alloting the said lands to any body else.

JUDGMENT

1. - Smt. Raji Bai, the petitioner in this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution is a displaced person having migrated after March 1947 from West Pakistan, leaving behind her irrigated lands there. In the erstwhile State of Bikaner in village Gharsana Tehsil Anupgarh District Ganganagar, land measuring 46 Bighas and 13 his was in khasra No. 62 and land measuring 23 Bighas and 3 Biswas in Khasra No. 64 formed part of the Estate of Chhatargarh and were recorded as occupancy Khudkast lands of Mohd Alt son of Shri Alia Jawaya Peeru, Khiwan, Ramzan and Subhan sons of Shri Firoz Khan Dulle Khan and Jale Khan sons of Jeewan Khan and Miran Khan S/o. Soyat Khan. The case of the petitioner is that the above named Muslim Khatedars migrated to Pakisthan during the civil distrbance after March, 1947 and, thereafter the said lands became evacuee property within the meaning of Section 2(c) of Bikaner State (Administration of Evacuee Property Order, 1948 as well as within the meaning of the said termin Section 2(f) of the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1949 aid the said property vested in the Custodian. The case of the petitioner is further that the aforesaid evacuee property was acquired by the Central, Government under Section 12 of the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation Act, 1954, vide Government of India notification dated 6th April, 1955 for the purpose of constituting the compensation pool for the purpose of rehabili. ration of Desplaced Persons and that the Managing Officer, Ganganagar by his order dated 19th April, 1963 allotred the said agricultrurel lands to the petitioner Under Section 20(f)(c) of the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954 and directed the Revenue Trhsildar, Anopgarh to hand-over the above mentioned land atonce to the petitioner. The petitioner had submitted that inspite of the aforesaid order, the Revenue Authorities have not delivered possession of the land alloted to her and that there was likelihood of the said land being allotted to others for cultivation. The petitioner has, therefore, filed this writ petition for the issue of an appropriate writ directing Tehsildar (Revenue) as well as the Tehsildar (Colonisation), Anupgarh to put the petitioner in possession of land in question and also for the issue of writ restraining Tehsildar (Colonisation), Gharsana from alloting land in question to any body else.

2. The writ petition is contested on behalf of the respondents Nos. 3 to 5 I.E. State Government, the Tehsildar (Colonisation) Gharsana and Tehsildar (Revenue) Anopgarh, or the ground that the lands in dispute never formed part of the compensation pool and this could not be allotted in favour of the petitioner in as much as the Khatedars of these lands did not migrate to West Pakistan during the period 1-3-1947 to 18-10-1949 and thereafter upto 1955. According to the said respondents Peeru s/o Firoz Khan was shot dead near Khazuwala in India in the year 1955 56 and the other Muslims were residing in India in village Bhaguwala, Tehsil Anupgarh till 1965 and that they left for Pakistan in the year 1965, during the Indo Pak war.

3. Shri R.N. Bishnoi, the learned Counsel for the petitioner, has submitted that the lands in dispute formed part of the compensation pool and were being dealt with as evacuee property by the authorities entrusted with the administration of evacuee properties and on that basis the said lands have been allotted in favour of the petitioner and that the State Government, having not challenged the order of allotment passed in favour of the petitioner in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954, could not be permitted to challenge the said order in the present proceedings. In support of his aforesaid submission the learned Counsel has poaced reliance on an earlier decision of this Court in Ishwari Prasad and Anr. v. Union of India SB. Civil Writ Petition No. 4-2









Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top