IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS Dated : 07.02.2011 Coram THE HONBLE MR. JUSTICE VINOD K.SHARMA W.P.No.22524 of 2008 and M.P.No.1 of 2008 T.Marappan .. Petitioner .. Vs .. 1. The Government of Tamil Nadu, represented by its Secretary, Housing and Urban developmental Department, Chennai 600 009. 2. The Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Rep. by its Managing Director, Nandanam, Chennai 600 035. 3. The Executive Engineer and Administrative Officer (In-charge), Salem Housing Unit, Salem 636 008. ... Respondents Prayer:- Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for the issuance of a Writ of Certiorari, calling for the records culminating in second respondent Tamil Nadu Housing Board's letter Nos.LA 4(7)/76280/1994-4, dated 12.09.2006 and LA 4(7)/76280/1994, dated 12.04.2007 and quash the same. For Petitioner : Mr.V.Raghupathi For R-1 : Mr.B.Vijay, Government Advocate For RR-2 & 3 Mr.A.Vijaya Kumar - - - - - O R D E R
The State of Tamil Nadu issued a notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act) vide G.O.Ms.No.1103, Housing and Urban development, dated 16.12.1982 for acquiring 95.87 acres of land, which included the land of the petitioner.
2. The notification under Section 4 of the Act was followed by the declaration under Section 6 of the Act.
3. The father of the petitioner challenged the acquisition proceedings by filing W.P.No.9845 of 1998, and the proceedings were ordered to be stayed by this Court.
4. The writ petition was dismissed on 28.03.2003. The petitioner preferred writ appeal No.2129 of 2003. The award was passed under Section 9 of the Act on 20.04.2000, but the compensation was not received by the petitioner due to the pendency of the writ, and the father of the petitioner died on 16.08.2003.
5. The case of the petitioner is that in the family partition, the petition land came to his share.
6. The petitioner made a representation to the Government for excluding his land from acquisition. On the representation, the remarks of the Housing Board was called for, wherein it was reported that exclusion of the land of the petitioner would not affect the scheme. The State, therefore, issued notification excluding the land of the petitioner from the acquisition.
7. According to the petitioner, this was done after petitioner approached this Court by initiating contempt proceedings.
8. After the land was left out of the acquisition, the petitioner was served with a letter from the Tamil Nadu Housing Board demanding a sum of Rs.9,17,863/- towards the developmental charges. The demand was subsequently followed by another demand, pointing out that under the instructions of the Government, the demand has been reduced to Rs.7,48,863/-.
9. The petitioner challenged the impugned orders of the second respondent, on the ground that the Tamil Nadu Housing Board has no jurisdiction to demand developmental charges from the petitioner, being not a allottee, nor beneficiary of the scheme of the Housing Board.
10. The State Government, under the land acquisition Act, while releasing the land from acquisition, also does not have any jurisdiction to direct the land owner to pay developmental charges, whose land is excluded from the acquisition.
11. That there is no scheme of the Housing Board, which may have been framed in accordance with the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board Act, with regard to area of the petitioner, which renders the demand as totally without jurisdiction.
12. The writ petition is opposed by the Housing Board. In the counter, it is stated that the Government followed the due process of law to acquire the land by issuing necessary notifications. It is also the case of the respondents that the Housing Board incurred expenses for development of the area. The stand is also taken, that the development of the area has been undertaken to the benefit of the petitioner. Therefore, the petitioner cannot deny the liability to pay the developmental charges, specially when the amount is being claimed under the directions of the State Government.
13. The contention of the learned counsel for the respondent Housing Board is that it is by way of concession to the petitioner, that an amount of Rs.7,48,863/- is being demanded instead of Rs.9,17,863/- as earlier proposed.
14. It is also the contention of the learned counsel for the respondent Housing Board, that having taken advantage under the withdrawal notification, now the petitioner is estopped to challenge the demand of developmental charges.
15. The learned Government Advocate, appearing for the State, however, contended that the State Government had only interfered to help the petitioner, as in the opinion of the State Government, the demand raised by the Housing Board was excessive. Otherwise the matter is between the Housing Board and the petitioner, as the claim of developmental charges, does not fall within the purview of the Land acquisition Act or within the jurisdiction of the State Government.
16. On consideration, I find force in the contention raised by the learned counsel for the petitioner. Admittedly, the petitioner is not the beneficiary under the scheme of the Housing Board nor he is allottee. The respondent Housing Board failed to show any legal provision or source for demanding the developmental charges from the petitioner. The demand raised therefore is prima facie without jurisdiction, being not supported by any provisions of the Act/Law. It is not open to the State or its authorities to demand money from the citizen without authority of law. Any demand by the State without authority of Law would be hit by Article 300-A of the Constitution of India. The right to claim development charges does not flow from any statute, but under letter of allotment. The petitioner being not an allottee, nor there is any agreement executed by this petitioner, thus the demand raised is totally without jurisdiction.
17. The notification of withdrawal from acquisition was, not subject to any demand qua expenses or development charges also.
18. If the Housing Board incurred same expenses, these cannot be fastened on the petitioner. The very fact that portion of the land was released would show, that the petitioner had the legal right to protect the land, and that there was no justification with the respondents to acquire the land of the petitioner.
19. The demand raised, being totally arbitrary, amount to colourable exercise of power, which is hit by Article 14 of the Constitution of India, besides being without jurisdiction.
20. Consequently, this writ petition is allowed, the impugned orders are set aside. A writ in the nature of certiorari is issued quashing the demand of developmental charges from the petitioner. No costs. Consequently, connected miscellaneous petition is closed.
07.02.2011
Index : Yes
Internet : Yes
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VINOD K.SHARMA,J.
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To
1. The Secretary,
The Government of Tamil Nadu,
Housing and Urban developmental Department,
Chennai 600 009.
2. The Managing Director,
The Tamil Nadu Housing Board,
Nandanam, Chennai 600 035.
3. The Executive Engineer and
Administrative Officer (In-charge),
Salem Housing Unit,
Salem 636 008.
W.P.No.22524 of 2008
07.02.2011