ORDER :

M.S.Ramachandra Rao, J.

ITC Limited, the petitioner herein, has filed this Writ Petition seeking Writ of Mandamus for refund of the amount of Rs.4.5 Crores to it from the respondents, which amount had been deposited by it with the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (APIIC) through cheque No.066843 dt.29.05.2007 drawn on Standard Chartered Bank, for allotment of land towards expansion project undertaken by it in Sarapaka Village near Bhadrachalam in the composite State of Andhra Pradesh.

2. The petitioner is engaged in the business of manufacture of paper boards and specialty papers apart from other businesses and has a manufacturing facility at Sarapaka Village near Bhadrachalam established during 1970s in the then State of Andhra Pradesh. The petitioner wanted to expand the existing facility and requested the then Government of Andhra Pradesh in 2005 to allot land for expansion in the said village.

3. Under the said proposal, the APIIC had furnished a proposal for diversion of 445 hectares of forest land in Kistasagar Reserved Forest of Paloncha Forest Division in Khammam District to the petitioner and an extent of 1576.80 Acres in Peddannavaripalli,