JUDGMENT :

1. This civil reference has come up before this Bench on a reference made by the learned Single Judge as per the provisions of Rule 5(1) of the Gujarat High Court Rules, 1993 (in short as 'the High Court Rules'), with the reasons in the referral order that an authoritative pronouncement to provide a guidance to the subordinate authorities as to what would be a reasonable time in a given case for exercise of suo motu power, is needed.

3. The argument of the learned counsel for the petitioner therein was that if the delay of 27 years in exercise of suo motu power is not taken to be unreasonable time, somebody may come after 100 years and say that he be conferred rights under Section 32 of the Gujarat Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948 and the possession be restored to him. In light of these arguments, it was opined by the learned Single Judge that the