Gram Panchayat Ranike v. Director Land Records Punjab Jalandhar

IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT

CHANDIGARH Civil Writ Petition No.7808 of 2016 Date of Decision: April 28, 2016 Gram Panchayat, Ranike ....Petitioner versus Director, Land Records, Punjab, Jalandhar .....Respondents CORAM:HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE SURYA KANT.

HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE A.B.CHAUDHARI.

--- Present: Mr.Gopal Singh Nahel, Advocate, for the petitioner. Mr.Rajesh Bhardwaj, Additional AG, Punjab.

-.-

1. Whether Reporters of Local papers may be allowed to see the judgment?

2. To be referred to the Reporters or not?

3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the Digest? --- Surya Kant, J. (Oral) Notice of motion.

On our asking, Mr.Rajesh Bhardwaj, learned Additional Advocate General, Punjab, accepts notice on behalf of the respondent.

Let two copies of the writ petition be supplied to learned State counsel during the course of day failing which this order shall be automatically recalled and the writ petition shall be deemed to have been dismissed for non-prosecution. In view of the nature of order which we propose to pass, it is not necessary to seek any counter-reply from the respondent at this stage.

The Gram Panchayat of village Ranike, Tehsil Malerkotla, District Sangrur seeks a mandamus to direct the Director, Land Records, Punjab to decide the petitions filed by MOHINDER KUMAR 2016.05.10 16:44 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document Chandigarh

CWP No.7808 of 2016 [2] it under Section 42 of the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948, in a time bound manner as those petitions are pending since the year 2010 after the same were remanded by this Court vide judgment dated 11.11.2010 passed in CWP No.4557 of 1988 (Gram Panchayat Ranike versus the Additional Director, Consolidation of Holdings and others) and other connected cases (P-1). It is averred that against the above-stated judgment of the learned Single Judge, no appeal was filed and the matter has attained finality. However, the Director, Land Records has yet not taken up those petitions for decision though five years have passed. We have heard learned counsel for the petitionerGram Panchayat.

It is undeniable that the expeditious disposal of a case is the first endeavour of every judicial or quasijudicial Forum and unless there are other old cases pending before the Authority, it is imperative upon it to take-up the petitions filed by the Gram Panchayat and decide the same in accordance with law and observing principles of natural justice, within a reasonable period. We thus dispose of this writ petition with a direction to the respondent to decide the pending petitions as early as possible but not later than six months from the date of receiving a certified copy of this order.

Dasti.

[SURYA KANT] JUDGE April 28, 2016 [A.B.CHAUDHARI] mohinder JUDGE MOHINDER KUMAR 2016.05.10 16:44 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document Chandigarh