I.S.TIWANA, J.

1. The two notifications -published by the State Government on Dec. 16 1976, and Dec. 13; 1979 under Sections 4 and 6 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for short, the Act) respectively are impugned in these petitions Nos. 3705 and 3745 of 1982 inter alia on the ground that the action of the respondent-authorities in acquiring the land of the Petitioners for the setting up of a residential urban estate at Mansa, a sub-divisional town, is arbitrary and colourable exercise of power under the Act. To support this claim of theirs, the petitioners point out that but for the Publication of the abovesaid notifications, respondent-authorities have not taken any meaningful step towards the completion of the acquisition proceedings and the sole purpose of the Government in issuing these notifications was to peg down the prices of the land in question and to acquire the same at a later date suiting their convenience. It is the admitted position that subsequent to the issuance of the above-noted notifications the first and the only step taken by the respondent-authorities in August, 1981 was the issuance of notices to the petitioners under S.9 of the Act for filing their