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2023 Supreme(P&H) 2884

IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH
VIKAS BAHL, J.
Vivek Khushlani – Petitioner
Versus
State of Haryana & Ors. – Respondents
CWP NO. 28113 of 2022 (O&M)
Decided On : 01-06-2023

Advocates Appeared:
Mr. Chetan Mittal, Senior Advocate, with Mr. Vineet Malhotra, Advocate, Mr. Dinesh Arora, Advocate, Mr. Vishal Gohri, Advocate, and Mr. Kunal Mulwani, Advocate; For the Petitioner
Mr. Samarth Sagar, Addl. A.G., Haryana for Respondents No.1 to 3.
Mr. Amit Bajaj, Advocate, for Respondent No.4.
Mr. Amit Jain, Advocate; For the Appellant-gram panchayat

Headnote:(A) Constitution of India - Article 226 - Haryana Village Common Land (Regulation) Act, 1961 - Sale deed cancellation - The Deputy Commissioner cancelled the sale deed on grounds it related to 'Shamilat Deh' land. The petitioner contended the land was not 'Shamilat Deh' under the Act. The Court ruled the auction held prior to 09.07.1985 was valid and titled transferred, exempting the land from cancellation under relevant laws - The impugned order was found cryptic and lacking a fair hearing for the petitioner. (Paras 2, 13, 26, 32)

Findings of Court:
The earlier auction and subsequent transfers established ownership, warranting the nullification of the cancellation order. The constitutional right to property was infringed.

Issues: Whether the court could uphold the cancellation of the sale due to the classification of the land under the Punjab Act; the right to a fair hearing in its cancellation.

Ratio Decidendi: The court concluded the land was not classified as 'Shamilat Deh' because it was validly auctioned before the cut-off date, hence the cancellation of sale deed was unwarranted.

Result: Writ petition allowed.

Table of Content
1. factual background of the case. (Para 1 , 2)
2. arguments presented by the petitioner and respondents regarding the sale deeds. (Para 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10)
3. court's analysis and observations on the arguments and facts. (Para 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 20 , 22 , 26 , 30 , 31)
4. key legal principles derived from statutory provisions. (Para 17 , 18 , 19 , 24 , 28)
5. final conclusion and order by the court. (Para 33 , 34)

JUDGMENT

Mr. Vikas Bahl, J.

The present writ petition has been filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India for issuance of writ in the nature of certiorari for setting aside the order dated 08.06.2022 (Annexure P-2) passed by the Deputy Commissioner/respondent No.2 vide which the sale deed dated 06.05.2022 (Annexure P-1) executed by the petitioner in favour of respondent no.4 has been cancelled. A further prayer has been made for setting aside the cancellation deed dated 09.06.2022 (Annexure P-3).

BRIEF FACTS

2. Brief facts of the present case are that the petitioner had executed a registered sale deed in favour of respondent No.4 on 06.05.2022 and the office of the Sub-Registrar, Sohna had issued notice dated 27.05.2022 (Annexure P-14) to show cause as to why the said sale deed should not be cancelled. The said notice was not served upon the petitioner as is apparent from the pleadings in para 12 of the writ petition and in its corresponding reply filed by the State and was served only upon respondent No.4 and respondent No.4 had given a detailed reply dated 03.06.2022 (Annexure P-15) to the said notice and the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, vide order dated 08.06.2022 (Annexure P-2), granted permission to cancel the sale deed by relying upon Chapter 5(1)(c) of the Haryana Registration Manual para 159(A), incorporated in the Haryana Registration Manual after para 159, by virtue of notification dated 22.12.2020 on the ground that the land in question was 'Shamilat Deh'. In pursuance of the permission granted by the Deputy Commissioner vide order dated 08.06.2022 (P-2), cancellation deed has been executed on 09.06.2022 (Annexure P-3) and the land has been ordered to be vested with the gram panchayat. It is the case of the petitioner that an auction by the Rehabilitation Department was held and allotment of the land in question was made in favour of predecessors-in- interest of the petitioner i.e., Bhagwan Dass and Laxmi Narain on 28.10.1964 and the sale certificates dated 13.11.1964 (Annexures P-5 & P-7) were issued by the Rehabilitation Department and warrant of possession had also been issued subsequent to the same, in the year 1964 and mutation was also sanctioned in the year 1965. It is further the case of the petitioner that vide registered sale deed dated 21.08.1985 (Annexure P-8), said Bhagwan Dass and legal representatives of Laxmi Narain had sold the land to M/s Shrikant Chemical Industries Pvt. Ltd., who had, vide two sale deeds, further sold the land in question on 07.05.1991 (Annexures P-10 & P-11) to the petitioner and it is the petitioner who had sold the said land to respondent No.4 for a valuable consideration vide registered sale deed dated 06.05.2022. Reliance has been placed by the petitioner on sub-clause (ii-a) of Clause (g) of Section 2 of the Punjab Village Common Land (Regulation) Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred as 'Act of 1961'), as is applicable to the State of Haryana, to state that in the said circumstances, the land would not be 'Shamilat Deh' and thus, the provisions which have been invoked would not apply to the present case. The documents relied upon by the petitioner have not been disputed in the reply filed by the State. Learned State counsel as well as learned counsel for the gram panchayat have opposed the present writ petition and have prayed for dismissal of the same.

Arguments on behalf of the petitioner:-

3. Learned Senior counsel for the petitioner has submitted that the order dated 08.06.2022 (Annexure P-2) passed by the Deputy Commissioner, Gurug

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