Rabi Sankar Paul & ANR v. State Of West Bengal& ORS

M/L 251 18.01.2023 Court. No. 19 GB W.P.A. 4940 of 2019 Rabi Sankar Paul & Anr.

VS The State of West Bengal & Ors.

Mr. Sounak Bhattacharya, Mr. Sounak Mondal ... for the Petitioner.

Affidavit-of-service filed in Court today, be kept with the record.

Despite service none appears on behalf of the respondent nos.4 to 6. As this Court is not inclined to pass any mandatory directions but is relegating the matter before the competent authority to decide the issues, the writ petition is taken up and disposed of in their absence. The petitioners allege unauthorized construction of a shop, by filling up a pond. The respondent no.6 allegedly made such construction on L.R. Dag No.172 corresponding to J.L. No.197 in Mouza-Ramnagar. It is alleged that no conversion was obtained from the competent authority. The writ petition is disposed of with a direction upon the Khanjapur-I gram panchayat to dispose of the representation of the petitioner which is Annexure-P/2 at Page 17 of the writ petition.

While doing so, the following procedure shall be adopted:- a) An inspection shall be conducted. Such inspection shall be held in the presence of the petitioners and

the respondent No.6. An advance notice of the inspection shall be served upon the petitioners and the respondent no.6 and all other interested parties. If the parties are not available to accept notice, the same shall be affixed at a conspicuous place in the respective premises.

b) In case, it is found on preliminary inspection that there may be reasons to believe that the construction was without permission and without conversion and was continuing, the authorities may take such interim measures by stopping such construction.

c) A report of such inspection shall be prepared along with the sketch map, indicating the extent and nature of unauthorized construction, if any.

d) Such report shall be handed over to the parties. The question of title, possession and boundary dispute etc. shall not be decided by the panchayat authorities. The questions to be decided by the panchayat authorities would be whether the construction has been made without any permission and/or without conversion and/or in violation of the building rules. The other remedies available to the petitioners under the relevant laws on the allegation of filling up of a water body is left open.

e) A hearing shall be given to the petitioners and the respondent no.6. The parties must also be allowed

to furnish their written objection/version to the said report and adduce oral and documentary evidence in support of their contentions before the competent authority. All points raised by either party, will be decided.

f) A reasoned order shall be passed and communicated to the parties. On the basis of what transpires at the hearing and during inspection, the proceedings shall be reached to its logical conclusion in terms of Section 23(5) of the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973.

The court has not gone into the merits of the claims of the petitioners and the issues involved shall be decided independently.

The entire exercise shall be completed within a period of four months from the date of communication of this order. Accordingly, the writ petition is disposed of. However, there will be no order as to costs.

All the parties are directed to act on the basis of the server copy of this order.

(Shampa Sarkar, J.)