Mr. Hemant Gupta, J.: - The petitioners i.e. the vendors of the sale deeds executed in respect of land measuring 59 Acres 1 Kanal 19 Marlas in the year 2000, have sought to annul such sale deeds in the present writ petition.

2. The brief facts out of which the present writ petition arises are that the State Government has initially published a notification dated 07.07.1998 (Annexure R-1) under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for short ‘the Act’) intending to acquire land measuring 122 Acres 2 Kanals 7 Marlas for a public purpose namely for setting up the ‘Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot’ (for short the University). After such notification was published, the landowners entered into agreements with the State Government for sale of such land. One of the such agreements is annexed as Annexure P-4 (dated 29.07.1999), wherein the landowners agreed to sell their shares of property to the State Government at the rate of Rs.4,50,000/- per acre for the purpose of establishing the University. On behalf of the State Government, the agreement was signed by the Secretary, Medical Education & Research Department, Punjab; Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot; Dire