Arabinda Baishya and 29 Ors v. The State of Assam and 4 Ors

PageoNo.#o1/18 GAHC010249792022 ooooooo ooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooTHEoGAUHATIoHIGHoCOURTo (HIGHoCOURToOFoASSAM,oNAGALAND,oMIZORAMoANDoARUNACHALoPRADESH)o CaseoNo.o:oWA/380/2022o ARABINDAoBAISHYAoANDo29oORSo S/OoBABULoBAISHYA 2:oMAHENDRAoPURBEY oS/OoRAMBRIKSHoPURBEY 3:oSUMITRAoMARAK oD/OoMELARANoSANGMA 4:oCHANDANAoDASoDUTTA oW/OoUTPALoDUTTA 5:oDIPAKoKRoKALITA oS/OoPRABINoCH.oKALITA 6:oANIMAoKALITA oD/OoBHABENoKALITA 7:oMEHERZANoBEGUM oD/OoLT.oJALALUDDIN 8:oRANUoBHARALI oD/OoLT.oSATISHoKALITA 9:oLAISHRAMoRAMILAoCHANU oD/OoLT.oIBOoSINGHoLAISHRAM 10:oAFJALoHUSSAIN oS/OoAJIMoUDDINoLASHKAR 11:oABDULoBARIKoAHMED oS/OoSOBAHANoMONDAL 12:oLAKSHMIoTHAKURIAoDAS PageoNo.#o2/18 oD/OoLALIToTHAKURIA 13:oRUPOMoSAIKIA oS/OoNIRANJANoSAIKIA 14:oNILIMAoDUTTA oD/OoSURENoDAS 15:oBHUPENoBARUAH oS/OoGANESHoBARUAH 16:oKADIRoHUSSAIN oS/OoJAINALoHUSSAIN 17:oKAMALoBAYAN oS/OoLOHIToBAYAN 18:oAMIRONoNESSA oS/OoKHUSALoALI 19:oLAKHESHWARoNATH oS/OoKHIRODoMOHANoNATH 20:oDEIJIoBEGUM oD/OoKAMINIoCH.oDAS 21:oJAYANTAoDAS oS/OoDEBENoDAS 22:oANOWARoHUSSAIN oPRESIDENToAMARoPRAYASoGOSTHIo) 23:oDIPIKAoDEVI oD/OoAJAYoKR.oSARMA 24:oDEWANTIoDEVI oD/OoNATHUNIoSAH 25:oRABINDRAoDEKA oS/OoSARAToCH.oDEKA 26:oSARAToCHoDEKA oS/OoGAMBHIRoCHoDEKA 27:oSANTAoKALITA oD/OoRATNESWARoKALITA Page No.# 3/18 28: RAFIKUL ISLAM S/O SADEK ALI 29: MINAL ALI S/O HANIF ALI 30: SATYENDRA KR. ROY S/O TILAK ROY ALL ARE RESIDENTS OF BISHNU NAGAR UDAY NAGAR DAKHIN GAON GUWAHATI POST OFFICE-KAHILIPARA POLICE STATION-DISPUR

DISTRICT-KAMRUP ( METRO) ASSAM PIN-78101 VERSUS THE STATE OF ASSAM AND 4 ORS. REP. BY COMMISSIONER AND SECRETARY, DEPTT. OF HOME, ASSAM, DISPUR, GUWAHATI, PIN-781006. 2:THE COMMISSIONER AND SECRETARY MINES AND MINERALS DEPTT. DISPUR GUWAHATI PIN-781006. 3:THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER KAMRUP (METROPOLITAN) HENGRABARI GUWAHATI PIN-781036. 4:THE CIRCLES OFFICER DISPUR REVENUE CIRCLE BASISTHA GUWAHATI PIN-781028 Advocate for the Petitioner : MR. K N CHOUDHURY, P. DEKA,MR D KALITA,MR. G HUSSAIN Advocate for the Respondent : GA, ASSAM, SC, REVENUE Page No.# 4/18 Linked Case : WA/370/2022 KESHAB BARMAN AND 153 ORS. S/O LATE KOKIL BARMAN 2: HAREKRISHNA SARMA S/O LATE KRIPANATH SARMA 3: ARUN KUMAR GHOSH S/O MOHAN LAL GHOSH 4: BIPUL DEKA S/O HAREN DEKA 5: ARUN RAJBONGSHI S/O KRISHNA RAJBONGSHI 6: RAJIB DEORI S/O LT. MOTILAL DEORI 7: MANIK SAIKIA S/O LT. CHANDRA KANTA SAIKIA 8: LOLIT CH DEORI S/O NABIN DEORI 9: PRANAB JYOTI BORDOLOI S/O DAMODAR BORDOLOI 10: HEMANTA KALITA S/O LT DHARMA KALITA 11: SUBHA DEVI D/O CHANDRA LAL SARMA 12: PARITOSH BARMAN S/O MUNINDRA BARMAN 13: RABIN SARMA S/O BASANTA SARMA 14: MAHIBUL ISLAM S/O FATENUR ALI PageoNo.#o5/18 o15:oRUPoKUMARoDEORI S/OoPRASANTAoDEORI o16:oHEMANTAoKRoKALITA S/OoLToCHANDRAoKANTAoKALITA o17:oSABITAoDEKA D/OoHARIoDEKA o18:oGOPESHoSARMA S/OoLToBASANTAoSRAMA o19:oPUSHPANJALIoDUTTA D/OoMUNINoDUTTA o20:oSHAMBHUoKUMAR S/OoRAMSAGARoROY o21:oJOYMATIoBARMAN S/OoLToTILAKoBARMAN o22:oKUMUDoCHANDRAoDAS S/OoBHADRESWARoDAS o23:oRAMESHoMEDHI S/OoJOGESHWARoMEDHI o24:oLAKHIoDEKA S/OoLToKATHAoRAMoDEKA o25:oRAJKUMARoMANDAL S/OoLToSANTOSHoMANDAL o26:oGIRINoMAHANTA S/OoDHIRESWARoMAHANTA o27:oDEBENoDAS S/OoLToSATYAoDAS o28:oPRADIPoDHAR S/OoADHIRoDHAR o29:oDIPENoDAS S/OoNARMESWARoDAS o30:oDINESHoHALOI S/OoBAKULoHALOI PageoNo.#o6/18 o31:oHIRENoKRoBAISHYA S/OoLToMADHABoCHANDRAoBAISHYA o32:oHANSADHARoSARMA 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o154:oSONMANIoDAS S/OoKAMESHoDASo ALLoAREoRESIDENTSoOFoDAKHINoGAON oSAUKUCHI oGUWAHATIo POSToOFFICE-SAUKUCHI o POLICEoSTATION-oDISPUR o DISTRICT-oKAMRUP(oMETRO)o ASSAM oPIN-781040 oVERSUS Page No.# 14/18 THE STATE OF ASSAM AND 3 ORS. REPRESENTED BY THE COMMISSIONER AND SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF HOME ASSAM DISPUR GUWAHATI PIN-781006 2:THE SECRETARY GOVERNMENT OF ASSAM DM (L R) DEPARTMENT DISPUR GUWAHATI PIN-781006 3:THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER KAMRUP (M) HENGRABARI GUWAHATI PIN-781036 4:THE CIRCLE OFFICER DISPUR REVENUE CIRCLE BASISTHA GUWAHATI PIN-781028 ------------

For petitioner(s)/appellant(s) : Mr. K. N. Choudhury, Sr. Advocate Mr. T. Deuri, Advocate

For respondent(s) : Mr. R.K. Bora, Addl. Sr. GA, Assam Ms. N. Bordoloi, SC, Revenue

– BEFORE – HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE MR. VIJAY BISHNOI HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE N. UNNI KRISHNAN NAIR

13.11.2024 (Vijay Bishnoi, CJ) Of these two writ appeals, WA No. 370/2022 is preferred by the appellants against the judgment and order dated 09.11.2022 passed by the learned Single Judge in WP(C) No. 7159/2022, and WA No. 380/2022 is preferred by the appellants therein Page No.# 15/18 challenging the order dated 17.11.2022 passed by the learned Single Judge in WP(C) 7338/2022. In WP(C) No. 7159/2022, the writ petitioners/appellants had essentially challenged the General Eviction Notice dated 01.11.2022 and in WP(C) No. 7338/2022, the petitioners/appellants had challenged the General Eviction Notice dated 10.11.2022. By the said two General Eviction Notices, the general public residing over the land covered by Dag No. 1076 of Dakhingaon under Beltola Mouza, Guwahati in the district of Kamrup (M), were directed to vacate the government land within a period of three days from the date of issuance of the said Notice. The learned Single Judge, after considering the arguments advanced by the rival parties, has disposed of the writ petitions vide the impugned orders dated 09.11.2022 and 17.11.2022, respectively, and has set aside the Eviction Notices dated 01.11.2022 and 10.11.2022 only to the extent of granting three days' time to the appellants to vacate the land occupied by them. The learned Single Judge has directed the respondents to give to the appellants another three weeks' time from the date of the judgment to vacate the land illegally occupied by them, to enable them to make alternative arrangements. The learned Single Judge has further observed that the extension of time given to the appellants for vacating the land would be subject to the condition that the appellants had not already been evicted from the lands occupied by them. Mr. K. N. Choudhury, learned Senior Counsel appearing for the appellants in WA No. 380/2022 has argued that a Division Bench of this Court, in Sakek Uddin (Md.) vs. State of Assam & Ors., reported in GLT 2024 (4) 857, while answering a Reference, has passed the judgment dated 27.06.2024 by holding that prior to initiation of a proceeding under Rule 18(2) of the Settlement Rules, the occupant/possessor of government land has to be issued notice. It is submitted that the notice to the occupants/possessors of the government land has to be individual notice and, considering the judgment of the Division Bench in Sakek Uddin (Md.) (supra), a Single Page No.# 16/18 Bench of this Court has already disposed of a writ petition, being WP(C) 3715/2020, vide judgment dated 07.11.2024 directing the respondents to issue individual notices to the alleged encroachers of the government land. It is submitted that these writ appeals can be disposed of in terms of the directions issued by the learned Single Judge in WP(C) 3715/2020, vide judgment dated 07.11.2024. Learned counsel appearing for the State respondents have fairly conceded that similar directions may be issued to the respondents as have been issued by the learned Single Judge in WP(C) 3715/2020, vide judgment dated 07.11.2024. In view of the above submissions made by the learned counsel for the parties, these writ appeals are disposed of with the following directions:

(i) The respondents shall issue fresh individual notices to the appellants/alleged encroachers of the government land in respect of which the General Eviction Notices dated 01.11.2022 and

10.11.2022 had been issued, asking them to show cause as to why they should not be evicted from the government land by taking recourse to Rule 18 of the Settlement Rules. The respondents shall issue such individual notices to the appellants/alleged encroachers within a period of 30 (thirty) days from today.

(ii) The appellants in the present two writ appeals are at liberty to submit individual replies to the notices to be issued by the respondents, along with documentary evidence, if any, showing cause that they have bona fide claim over the plots of land under their occupation and, as such, recourse to Rule 18 of the Settlement Rules is not permissible. Such replies to the individual notices shall be filed by the appellants/alleged encroachers within a period of 15 (fifteen) days from the date of issuance of the individual notices.

(iii) The District Commissioner, Kamrup (M), shall provide opportunity of hearing to the appellants/alleged encroachers either Page No.# 17/18 personally, or through their authorized representatives and shall, thereupon, pass appropriate speaking orders. The District Commissioner, Kamrup (M) is further directed to allot a particular area in his office for submission of replies by the appellants.

(iv) The District Commissioner, Kamrup (M), upon passing of the speaking order(s), as directed hereinabove, shall notify on the Notice Board of his office about passing of the speaking order(s).

(v) The District Commissioner, Kamrup (M), to complete the exercise, as directed above, within a period of three months from today.

(vi) Until completion of the exercise, as directed above, no coercive measures shall be taken against the appellants.

(vii) It is also made clear that if any of the appellants fail to respond to the notice to be issued under Rule 18 of the Settlement Rules, within the time stipulated above, the respondents shall be free to take action in accordance with law.

(viii) As prayed for by the appellants herein, it is provided that the above directions shall not preclude the right of the appellants to prefer individual applications before the jurisdictional District Commissioner praying for allotment of plot of land by invoking the provisions of the Assam Land Policy, 2019, or any other policy presently holding the field in this connection. In the event of filing such application by any or all the appellants, the jurisdictional District Commissioner shall take steps for causing due consideration of such applications, independent of the process for removal of encroachment, in terms of the direction Nos. (i) to (vii) passed hereinabove, and shall dispose of such applications expeditiously and strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Page No.# 18/18 Assam Land Policy, 2019, or any other policy presently in vogue in this connection, and communicate the outcome thereof to the appellants. In the event the jurisdictional District Commissioner is not competent to consider and dispose of the applications under the Assam Land Policy, 2019, he shall take steps for having the applications placed before the competent authority empowered to consider such applications, which authority shall also consider such applications expeditiously and strictly in accordance with the Assam Land Policy, 2019, or any other policy presently in vogue in this connection, and communicate to the appellants the outcome thereof. Ordered accordingly. Writ appeals stand disposed of with the above observations and directions.

JUDGE CHIEF JUSTICE Comparing Assistant