Manoranjan Saha and Another v. State of Assam and Ors.
1998-12-15
P.SINGH
body1998
DigiLaw.ai
The petitioners herein happens to be husband and wife whereas respondents 6 and 7 happen to be the elder brother of petitioner No.l and his sister-in-law, Said respondents however are husband and wife between them. Petitioners appeared to have been living in Dag Nos 410 and 411 in Hojai Town No.3 for some period of time. Accordingly they approached the State Govt with application for settlement of that land in their favour. Considering petitioners prayer for settlement, the Govt vide order dated 1.8.90 Annexure I to the writ petition ordered for the settlement of 2 kathas 10 lechas from the land in their favour subject to the payment of premium @ 100% at the market value of the land which was fixed at Rs.47,000/- per bigha. It also directed for the correction of revenue records accordingly. It appears that the said order was not to the satisfaction of petitioners as the sum of Rs.47,000/- which was fixed by way of price of the land per bigha was considered too high hence unacceptable. They again approached the State Govt for reduction of the amount payable by them for the said land. Accordingly vide order dated 14.5.91 the State Govt rescinded its earlier order dated 1.8.90 and passed a fresh order of settlement of the land in favour of petitioners at a fixed rate of Rs. 10,0007- per bigha. It is alleged that petitioners made part of the payment to the Govt. Despite that order of settlement was not implemented as neither possession of the land was delivered to them nor necessary correction of the land records was carried out. Feeling aggrieved on that account petitioners filed CR No.651 of 1992 before this Court. A Division Bench, of this Court comprising Hon'ble the CJ (Mr Justice UL Bhatt) and Hon'ble Mr. Justice WA Shishak vide order dated 8.6.92 disposed the civil rule without deciding it on merit. The Court was informed by the learned Govt Advocate that the order of settlement could not be implemented as appeal against e that order has been filed before the State Govt by respondents 6 and 7. This Court accordingly directed the State Govt to hear the petitioners also in the appeal of the said respondents while deciding it.
The Court was informed by the learned Govt Advocate that the order of settlement could not be implemented as appeal against e that order has been filed before the State Govt by respondents 6 and 7. This Court accordingly directed the State Govt to hear the petitioners also in the appeal of the said respondents while deciding it. From petitioners own averment made in paragraph 11 of the petition it would appear that they appeared before the Govt and filed their affidavit for contesting the claims of respondents 6 and 7 before the State Govt. Petitioners maintained in their affidavit that claim for the settlement of the land made by respondents 6 and 7 in their own favour was frivolous on the ground that the respondent 6 happened to be his elder brother who was given shelter by him when he had come to him along with his family members from Agartala in the year 1970 on being evicted by Railway authorities from Railway land. Since then he has been living with him as his guest and had set up a false case for allotment of land which was in his possession. It would further appears from petitioners averments he had made in paragraph 12 of the writ petition that the State Govt vide order dated 29.10.92 allowed respondents appeal and directed for allotment of the land in favour of the petitioners as well as respondents 6 and 7. Thereafter petitioners again approached the State Govt for seeking stay of the operation of the order dated 29.10.92 and the said order fa was stayed and several interim stay orders were passed by the Govt from time to time. Order dated 29.10.92 however has not been rescinded and is still intact. Ultimately by impugned order dated 2.4.96 (Annexure 12) the State Govt has made fresh order of settlement of the land as per its decision in the appeal of a respondents 6 and 7. The impugned order reads as follows : “No RSS 205/85/335 dated Dispur the 2nd April, 96.
Ultimately by impugned order dated 2.4.96 (Annexure 12) the State Govt has made fresh order of settlement of the land as per its decision in the appeal of a respondents 6 and 7. The impugned order reads as follows : “No RSS 205/85/335 dated Dispur the 2nd April, 96. From :Shri M Das, ACS Deputy Secretary to the Govt of Assam To, The Deputy Commissioner, Nagaon, Assam Sub : Settlement of land in the name of Sri Manoranjan Sana and others Sir, With reference to the above, I an directed to say that the Governor of Assam is pleased to order for settlement of land measuring 2 kathas 10 lechas (two kathas ten lechas) covered by Dag No.410 and 411 of No. 3 Hojai Town Kissan in the names of Sri Manoranjan Saha and his wife Anjali Saha, Minati Saha and Sri Sukharanjan Saha on realisation of premium @ 100% of the market value of the land fixed at Rs.15,000 (Rupees fifteen thousand) only per bigha as per break up indicated below: 1. Sri Manoranjan Saha & his wife Smti Anjali Saha -1 katha 9 lechas 2. Smti Minati Saha - 0 katha 4 lechas 3. Sri Sukharanjan Saha - 0 katha 7 lechas 4. Land (for all of these) - 0 katha 10 lechas. Total area of land 2 kathas 10 lechas Relevant land records etc may be corrected and patta issued in the joint spouse, where necessary after realisation of due premium. This supersede the previous orders, if any in this regard. Sd/ Deputy Secretary to the Govt of Assam Revenue (S) Deptt. Memo No. RSS 205/85/335 A dated 2.4.96 Copy to: 1. SDO (Civil) Hojai Sankardev Nagar, Nagaon 2. Circle Officer, Hojai Circle, Hojai 3. Sri Manoranjan Saha Hojai Town. 4. Smt Minati Saha Kalibari Road 5. Sri Sukharanjan Saha Hojai, Dist Nagaon. By order etc Sd-/ Deputy Secretary to the Govt of Assam Revenue (S) Department.” 2. A reading of the order passed by the Govt for the settlement of the land in favour of petitioners and respondents 6 and 7 would show that a larger share of 29 lechas has been given to petitioners whereas smaller portion of 11 lechas has been given to respondents 6 and 7 whereas 10 lechas of land has been left for an occupation by both (respondents and petitioners).
In all a total area of 2 kathas 10 lechas of land has been made available to them. This order has now been challenged by the petitioners in this writ petition. 3. Mr. KK Mahanta, learned counsel for the petitioners assisted by Smti B Choudhury, has contended that the State Govt possessed no power to supersede its earlier order of settlement dated 1.8.90 and the subsequent modified order dated 14.5.91. His second submission was that once petitioners filed his review application for seeking cancellation of the order dated 29.10.92 there was no justification for State Govt to have made the impugned order of settlement by way of implementation of its order dated 29.10.92 without first disposing petitioners review application. Third contention of Sri Mahanta was that on petitioners making payment of the land revenue for the land and after correction of revenue records a by revenue authorities on this application of the settlement order dated 14.5.91 right has accrued in his favour which cannot be taken away by the impugned order without providing him opportunity of hearing. 4. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties. On hearing them, I do not feel inclined to agree with either of the contentions made by Sri Mahanta in support of the writ petition. 5. So far the first contention of Sri Mahanta is concerned it is to be seen settlement of the land in petitioners favour by orders dated 1.8.90 or 14.5.91 was made by the State Govt being wholly unmindful of the claim of respondents 6 and 7. Neither from those orders nor from the averments of petitioner made in the writ application it is made out that Govt had considered the rival claim of those respondents while settling the land in question in petitioners favour. It was for reasons of non-consideration of their claims that respondents 6 and 7 filed appeal before the State Govt against the order of settlement made in favour of petitioners. In the circumstances State Govt was fully justified in deciding their appeal in which petitioners were given opportunity of hearing as would appear from their own version in paragraph 11 of the petition.
In the circumstances State Govt was fully justified in deciding their appeal in which petitioners were given opportunity of hearing as would appear from their own version in paragraph 11 of the petition. When petitioners appeared before the State Govt for contesting the claim of respondents 6 and 7, petitioners did not question the jurisdiction of the State Govt on the ground that the said Govt possessed no power of settlement of the land in their favour. The fact that the said point was not raised by petitioners before the State Govt in their affidavit would also go to show that there was no factual basis with the petitioners for raising the point. Hence it is not permissible to raise that point in this Court at this stage in absence of the necessary facts in that regard in the record. From the material available on record of the case it cannot, therefore, be denied that respondents 6 and 7 were in possession over part of the land in dispute in their individual capacity. This fact is proved from the petitioners own averments in paragraph 24 of the writ petition from which it would appear that petitioners have filed suit being TS No.22 of 1995 in civil Court seeking eviction of respondents 6 and 7 from the land in dispute. In view of the above facts and circumstances, it cannot be said that the order dated 29.10.92 which was passed on the appeal of respondents 6 and 7 was by way of review. On the contrary the said order was passed in a just and proper exercise of the executive powers by the State Govt. It is to be noted that order dated 29.10.92 has not been challenged g by petitioners and the said order has now become final. So far the impugned order is concerned it is by way of execution for implementation of the earlier order of the State Govt dated 29.10.92, hence no exception can be that to the said order dated 2.4.96 unless order dated 29.10.92 is challenged by the petitioner. 6. Second contention of the learned counsel for the petitioner too has no merit.
So far the impugned order is concerned it is by way of execution for implementation of the earlier order of the State Govt dated 29.10.92, hence no exception can be that to the said order dated 2.4.96 unless order dated 29.10.92 is challenged by the petitioner. 6. Second contention of the learned counsel for the petitioner too has no merit. Once the order dated 29.10.92 was passed on the appeal of respondents 6 and 7 after hearing petitioners the State Govt was left with no power to entertain a fresh prayer from petitioner for setting aside or recalling that order as it has attained the character of a quasi-judicial order which could not be reviewed without there being specified power available in that regard. 7. Third contention of petitioners too hardly has any merit. It appears that revenue authorities being wholly unaware of the order dated 29.10.92 and believing that the order dated 14.5.91 was to be implemented by them, passed necessary follow up orders for the correction of revenue records and accordingly accepted land revenue for the land from petitioners. These actions of respondents taken under mistake of fact, would not go to confer any right on petitioners specially when earlier order of settlement of the land in dispute made in their favour on 14.5.91 had already been set aside by the State Govt vide order dated 29.10.92 by virtue whereof order ceased to exist and could not be implemented. 8. In the above view of the matter, I find no merit in this writ petition which is accordingly dismissed. There shall be no order as to costs. This order however does not prevent the petitioners from challenging order dated 29.10.92 in whatever forum they may be legally entitled to do so.