Finding fault with the decision of the Rangareddy Joint Collector in suspending the occupancy rights certificates granted to the petitioners and their predecessors in 1978, the High Court upheld the Revenue Board’s decision that the 38 acres in Sikanderguda village in Gandipet mandal, for which the petitioners were given the certificates, is not the property of the Paigah Vicar-ul-Umrah.
The Revenue Board had given the decision on December 29, 1976, and the HC’s ruling binds all the parties concerned, including the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA - the Court of Wards). The HC stated that the CCLA cannot plead that the land was still under its supervision. Quashing the proceedings issued by the CCLA, which had proposed considering the release of the property, the HC directed the officials to issue passbooks to the petitioners in two weeks and imposed fine of Rs 5,000 on the government, payable to each of the petitioners.
Justice MS Ramachandra Rao passed this order while hearing the petitions filed by B Venugopal Goud. The petitioners had contended that if they are denied e-pattadar passbooks, they would lose benefits under the Rythu Bandhu scheme and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana.