After the close of consolidation operations in a village under Section 52 (1) of the U. P. Consolidation of Holdings Act, consolidation courts cease to have jurisdiction to entertain any fresh matter, including appeals, revisions, or applications for implementation of earlier orders.

Kapil Dev, petitioner in this writ petition has sought to chal lenge by means of the present writ petition order of the Settlement Officer (Con solidation) dated 25-5-92 and the revisional order passed by Deputy Director of Consolidation, Faizabad on 3041-95, under Section 48 of U. P. Consolidation of Holdings Act (hereafter called the Act ). Plot No. 1861 situate in village Jainapur, district Ambedkar Nagar (earlier Faizabad) is subject matter of dispute between petitioner and respondent No. 3 in the present writ petition. It appears, the land was recorded in the basic year in the name of Balikaran, father of Babu Ram, opposite party No. 3. Kapil Dev, petitioner filed an objection claiming Sirdari rights on the basis of adverse possession over the land in dispute. It is staled that order dated 27-2-78 was passed by the Consolidation Officer on the basis of compromise between petitioner and Balikaran, wherein petitioner was given Sirdari rights over the said land. Notwithstanding the order passed by Consolidation Officer and land continued to be recorded in the name of Balikaran and a chak also appears to have been carved out in his name by Assistant Consolidation Officer regarding which no objection was filed by petitioner. The petitioner, however, states that he continued to be in posses sion of the land and his possession was never disturbed. This fact, is, however, denied by Babu Ram, respondent No. 3 asserting that petitioner was never in possession. According to Babu Ram, petitioner was never in possession and the revenue records too do not record his possession at any stage. Petitioner however, filed an applica tion for implementation of the order of the Consolidation Officer in the year 1990. It was at this ?f age according to Babu Ram, respondent No. 3, he came to know of the order of Consolidation Officer for recording the name of petitioner as Sirdar, he, therefore, filed appeal on 19-12-90 challenging the said order of the Consolidation Officer on the ground that the same was fictitious as no compromise had taken place between his father and petitioner. The Settlement Officer (Consolidation) allowed the appeal and remanded the case back to the Consolidation Officer for decision on the objection of Kapil Dev, petitioner, on merits inasmuch as he found that the compromise set up by the petitioner in respect of the land in dispute was of doubtful character. Petitioner filed revision before the Deputy Director of Consolidation but without success, the Deputy Director of Consolidation endorsed the order of the Settlement Officer (Consolidation) and rejected the revision. Petitioner has, thus, approached this court under Article 226 of the Constitution for challenging the orders passed by Settlement Officer (Consolidation) and Deputy Director of Con solidation. Shri S. K. Mehrotra learned counsel for the petitioner will contend that the consolidation courts could not entertain appeal or revision after close of con solidation operations in the village by publication of notification under Section 52 (1) of the Act. Section 52 (1) of the Act reads as follows :

"52. Close of consolidation operations- (1) As soon as may be after fresh maps and records have teen prepared (Under sub- section (1) of section 27) the State Government shall issue notification in the official gazette, that the consolidation operation have been closed in the unit and village or villages forming part of the unit shall then cease to be under consolidation operations:

(Provided that the issue of the notification under this section shall not affect the powers of the State Government to fix, distribute and recover the cost of operations under this Act. "

2. According to the learned counsel for the parties, notification under Section 52 of the Act was issued sometime in the year 1988 on 27-2-1988 whereby consolida tion operations in village Jainapur of district Ambedkar Nagar (earlier Faizabad) was closed. The result of the closure is that the