JUDGMENT V.K. Sharma, Judge (Oral) Notice. Mr. Vivek Singh Attri, learned Deputy Advocate General appears and waives notice on behalf of the respondents. 2. Heard. Facts of the case simply and briefly stated are that some land belonging to the petitioner has been acquired for a public purpose, namely, construction of Parsa-Dhara-Shekhal road. Being a person interested and aggrieved by the quantum of compensation awarded to him, instead of seeking a reference under Section 18 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 to the Collector Land Acquisition, he directly approached the court of the learned Additional District Judge, Shimla, Camp at Rohroo, who has disposed of the same as not maintainable, vide the impugned order dated 15.9.2012, Annexure P-6, which is challenged by him by way of the present proceedings under Article 227 of the Constitution. 3.The settled position of law that Rules of procedure are handmaid of justice and are required to be so used to advance the interests of justice, instead of thwarting the same need not be restated. Thus, I am more than satisfied that instead of disposing of the reference as not maintainable, the learned Additional District Judge ought to have directed the petitioner to have recourse before the competent authority, that is, the Land Acquisition Collector. Accordingly, the impugned order dated 15.9.2012, passed by the learned Addl. District Judge, Shimla, camp at Rohroo, is set aside with a direction to the said court to return the reference to the petitioner for presentation before the Land Acquisition Collector in accordance with law, though sans rigors of the law of limitation, as the petitioner had been pursuing the claim in the learned court below without routing the reference through the Land Acquisition Collector. 4.The petition stands disposed of in the above terms. Copy dasti.