1. This order will dispose of Letters Patent Appeals Nos. 258 and 332 of 1971. The facts giving rise to these appeals may first be surveyed. Kundan Lal respondent in both these appeals filed Civil Writ Petition No. 3186 of 1970 against the Superintending Canal Officer, Sirhind Canal Circle, Ludhiana, the Divisional Canal Officer, Bhatinda Division, Bhatinda, Bhai Siri Ram Singh (since deceased), and the Gram Sabha of village Jhumbha through its Sarpanch praying for setting aside the order of the Divisional Canal Officer, dated April 17, 1970 (Annexure C to the writ petition), sanctioning a new watercourse instead of passing an order on the writ petitioner s application for restoration of a previous watercourse which was said to have been unauthorisedly dismantled by respondent No. 3 to the writ petition, and for the quashing of the appellate order of the Superintending Canal Officer, dated September 18, 1970, (Annexure D to the writ petition), upholding the abovementioned order of the Divisional Canal Officer. The claim of the writ petitioner was that in the course of the consolidation proceedings in his village, provision had been made in 1962-63 for irrigating the fields