REPORTABLE

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO. 483  OF 2020 ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NO. 2186  OF 2020

[CC NO. 12379 OF 2016]

INDU BAI & ORS. .....APPELLANT(S)

VERSUS

STATE OF TELANGANA & ORS. .....RESPONDENT(S)

W I T H

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 477-478   OF 2020 (ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NOS. 23613-23614 OF 2016)

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 486-487  OF 2020 ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NOS. 2187-2188  OF 2020

[CC NOS. 15550-15551 OF 2016]

CIVIL APPEAL NOS.  492-493  OF 2020 ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NOS. 2189-2190  OF 2020

[CC NOS. 9442-9443 OF 2017]

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 568  OF 2020 ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NOS. 2378  OF 2020

[DIARY NO. 38272 OF 2016]

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 569-570  OF 2020 ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NOS. 2379-2380  OF 2020

[DIARY NO. 38274 OF 2016]

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 571-572  OF 2020 ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NOS. 2381-2382  OF 2020

[DIARY NO. 38275 OF 2016]

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 573  OF 2020 ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NOS. 2383  OF 2020

[DIARY NO. 38276 OF 2016]

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 479-480   OF 2020

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ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NOS.  2175-2176 OF 2020 [DIARY NO. 33321 OF 2019]

CIVIL APPEAL NO.  481  OF 2020 ARISING OUT OF SLP (CIVIL) NO.  2177  OF 2020

[DIARY NO. 45315 OF 2019]

J U D G M E N T

HEMANT GUPTA, J.

1. The present appeals are directed against a common order passed

by the High Court of Judicature for the States of Telangana and

Andhra Pradesh at Hyderabad on 12th February, 2016 whereby the

writ petitions filed by the State of Telangana were allowed.

2. Civil Appeal No. 7477 of 2019 (Ramesh Parsram Malani & Ors.  v.

The State of Telangana & Ors.) arising out of the said order stands

dismissed by this Court on 22nd October, 2019 wherein it has been

held that the Central Government has transferred land to the State

Government and that the State can allot  land for settlement of

displaced persons.

3. The appellants claim themselves to be pre-partition tenants on the

land situated in  Village Poppalguda,  District  Ranga Reddy.  The

grievance  of  the  appellants  is  that  their  right  to  continue  in

possession has  been put  in  jeopardy when the State issued an

auction notice on 25th April, 2016.   

4. This Court in its judgment dated 22nd October, 2019 has not exam-

ined the claim of the alleged pre-partition tenants.  This Court in

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Ramesh Parsram Malani’s case set aside the finding of the High

Court wherein it was held that transfer of land to the State Gov-

ernment  takes  such  transferred  land  out  of  compensation  pool.

The observations of this Court in the following para are in the con-

text of the finding recorded by the High Court, which reads as un-

der:

“31.  However, we are unable to agree with the High Court  that  transfer  of  land to  the  State  Government takes such transferred land out of compensation pool. The land transferred to the State Government continues to be part of compensation pool but it is required to be disposed of by the Officers of the State who have been conferred the powers of the Managing Officer or of the Settlement  Commissioner  for  the  settlement  of  the displaced persons alone. It is only after the displaced persons are settled, the State Government may utilize the land for other purposes.”

5. In Civil Appeals arising out of Special Leave Petition (Civil) Nos.

23613-23614 of 2016, the order of the High Court in Writ Petition

Nos.  29274  of  2014  and  29436  of  2014  is  subject  matter  of

challenge.  Before the High Court, the appellants have challenged

the allotment of land to Ramesh Parsram Malani (the appellant in

Civil Appeal No. 7477 of 2019) and also claimed Patta being pre-

partition  tenants.   The  appellants  have  claimed,  inter  alia,  the

following relief:

“…direct  the  respondents  No.  1  to  5  to  grant  patta rights  in  respect  of  the  subject  lands  admeasuring Ac.18.00  Gts  in  Sy.  No.  301,  303,  327,  situated  at Poppalguda  Village,  Rajendra  Nagar  Mandal,  Ranga Reddy District, in favour of the petitioners herein.”

6. In Civil  Appeals  arising out  of  Special  Leave Petitions (CC Nos.

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15550-15551  of  2016),  the  appellants  have  filed  miscellaneous

application for claiming interim directions not to interfere with the

possession  and  enjoyment  of  the  appellants  over  the  land

comprising  in  Survey  No.  331  of  Poppalguda  Village,  Rajendra

Nagar Mandal, Ranga Reddy District.   Therefore, the challenge in

the writ petitions was not to seek establishment of any right of the

appellants being pre-partition tenants.   

7. In  other  appeals,  the  appellants  have  not  invoked  the  writ

jurisdiction or  any other competent forum for redressal  of  their

grievances in relation to vesting of land in them.

8. In view of the above, the order dated 12th February, 2016 passed

by the High Court in Writ Petition Nos. 29274 of 2014 and 29436

of 2014 is set aside and the matter is remitted to the High Court to

decide  the  writ  petitions  in  accordance  with  law.   All  other

appellants are at liberty to invoke such other jurisdiction as may be

available to them for redressal of their grievances in accordance

with law.

9. All the appeals stand disposed of accordingly.

.............................................J. (L. NAGESWARA RAO)

.............................................J. (HEMANT GUPTA)

NEW DELHI; JANUARY 21, 2020.

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