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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL Nos.14729-14730 OF 2024
(Arising out of SLP(C)Nos. 25151-25152/2019)
CHANDRAPPA & ANR. … APPELLANTS Versus
THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER & ORS. … RESPONDENTS
O R D E R 1. Leave granted.
2. The challenge herein is to an order dated 28.02.2019, passed
by a Division Bench of the High Court of Karnataka at Bengaluru,
declining the condonation of delay of 1784 days. Consequently, the
application to recall the order dated 16.01.2014, whereby Writ
Appeal Nos.3643-44/2012 were dismissed in default has also been
turned down.
3. The controversy revolves around the validity of sale deeds
executed by C.K. Naik, the original grantor, to whom the subject
land was allotted free of cost, as he was a member of the Scheduled
Caste Banjara Community. Similarly, the subsequent sale deeds,
executed by his legal heirs, and then repeated sales by their
vendees, all are subject matter of dispute. The Statutory
Authorities, by invoking powers under the Karnataka Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain
Lands) Act, 1978 (for short, `PTCL Act’), have annulled all those
sale deeds and directed that the land be restored in favour of the
legal heirs of the original grantee.
4. The appellants are subsequent vendees of a part of the
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land in dispute and the sale deeds in their favour too have been
annulled. They appro...