{"id":107351,"date":"2009-09-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-09-14T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009"},"modified":"2016-12-24T16:42:18","modified_gmt":"2016-12-24T11:12:18","slug":"sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009","title":{"rendered":"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New &#8230; vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; &#8230; on 15 September, 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Supreme Court of India<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New &#8230; vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; &#8230; on 15 September, 2009<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_author\">Author: H S Bedi<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_bench\">Bench: Dalveer Bhandari, Harjit Singh Bedi<\/div>\n<pre>                         IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA\n              CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION\n\n           CIVIL APPEAL Nos. 4849-4850 of 2000\n\nSita Ram Bhandar Society,\nNew Delhi                                      ....Appellant\n\n\n               Vs.\n\nLt. Governor, Govt. of N.C.T.\nDelhi &amp; Ors.                               ......Respondents\n\n\n                     JUDGMENT\n<\/pre>\n<p>HARJIT SINGH BEDI,J.\n<\/p>\n<p>1.    These appeals are directed against the judgment of the<\/p>\n<p>Division Bench of the Delhi High Court dated 2nd September<\/p>\n<p>1998 dismissing the writ petitions. The facts are as under:<\/p>\n<p>2.   On 13th November 1959, a Notification was issued by the<\/p>\n<p>Chief Commissioner of Delhi under 4 of the Land Acquisition<\/p>\n<p>Act (hereinafter called the &#8220;Act&#8221;) notifying the Government&#8217;s<\/p>\n<p>intention to acquire 34070 acres of land for the &#8220;Planned<\/p>\n<p>                                                       &#8230;2\/&#8230;\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n                                          CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>Development of Delhi&#8221;. This notification had, within its ambit,<\/p>\n<p>agricultural land belonging to the appellant society, bearing<\/p>\n<p>Khasra No. 157 in Village Lado Sarai, Tehsil Mehrauli, Delhi<\/p>\n<p>measuring 8 Bighas and 11 Biswas or 8620 sq. yards<\/p>\n<p>equivalent to 1.8 acres. The appellant filed objections under<\/p>\n<p>Section 5A of the Act on the 10th December 1959 submitting<\/p>\n<p>that the land be exempted from the proposed acquisition. It<\/p>\n<p>pointed out that the appellant body was a registered trust and<\/p>\n<p>a religious body managing three temples in Pilani, Rajasthan<\/p>\n<p>and several gardens, water tanks etc. having religious<\/p>\n<p>significance.   The objections raised were apparently found<\/p>\n<p>without merit whereafter the Chief Commissioner issued a<\/p>\n<p>declaration under Section 6 of the Act which was published on<\/p>\n<p>16th   May   1966   pertaining       to   2153   Bighas   2   Biswas<\/p>\n<p>corresponding to about 448 acres. The Collector, Land<\/p>\n<p>Acquisition also rendered his award on 19th June 1980<\/p>\n<p>clarifying that it pertained only to 1996 Bighas 18 Biswas<\/p>\n<p>leaving out an area of 156 Bighas 4 Biswas for the time being<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                 3<\/span><br \/>\n                                      CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>as it was built up and that the award for this area would be<\/p>\n<p>given later.    The appellant&#8217;s property Khasra No.157 was,<\/p>\n<p>however, included in the award of 19th June, 1980. It appears<\/p>\n<p>that pursuant to the award possession of 1933 Bighas and 2<\/p>\n<p>Biswas was taken by the Collector, Land Acquisition on the<\/p>\n<p>20th June 1980 and further handed over to the beneficiary<\/p>\n<p>department. It was, however, observed in the proceedings of<\/p>\n<p>20th June 1980 that the possession of the balance area of<\/p>\n<p>about 61 Bighas would be taken after the removal of the<\/p>\n<p>structures with the help of the demolition squad. On the 29 th<\/p>\n<p>July 1980 a Notification under Section 22 (1) of the Delhi<\/p>\n<p>Development      Act,   1957   was   issued   by   the   Central<\/p>\n<p>Government, placing the acquired land at the disposal of the<\/p>\n<p>Delhi Development Authority for the planned development of<\/p>\n<p>Delhi. At this stage, the appellant filed CWP No.1068 of 1980<\/p>\n<p>in the Delhi High Court challenging the validity of the<\/p>\n<p>Notification under Section 4 and Declaration under Section 6<\/p>\n<p>of the Act.    This petition was dismissed in limine on the 18 th<\/p>\n<p>August 1980.       The appellant thereupon preferred Special<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                              4<\/span><br \/>\n                                    CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>Leave Petition in this Court and after leave was granted the<\/p>\n<p>appeal was registered as C.A. No. 1738 of 1981.     While the<\/p>\n<p>appeal was still pending, the appellant filed Writ Petition<\/p>\n<p>No.2220\/1981 under Article 32 of the Constitution of India in<\/p>\n<p>the Supreme Court.     It appears that an interim order was<\/p>\n<p>made by the Supreme Court in these proceedings on 15th of<\/p>\n<p>July 1981 staying dispossession of the appellant from the<\/p>\n<p>property in dispute and the said order was confirmed on 16th<\/p>\n<p>September 1982. Both the Civil Appeal and the Writ Petition<\/p>\n<p>aforementioned were, however, dismissed by this Court on the<\/p>\n<p>20th July 1993. It also appears from the record that while the<\/p>\n<p>aforementioned two matters were pending in this Court, the<\/p>\n<p>appellant filed Suit No. 1226 of 1992 on the Original Side of<\/p>\n<p>the Delhi High Court praying for an injunction against the<\/p>\n<p>respondents, including the Delhi Development Authority, that<\/p>\n<p>no structure be demolished and that no interference be made<\/p>\n<p>with the plaintiff&#8217;s possession and management of the Suit<\/p>\n<p>land. An interim injunction was also sought and obtained in<\/p>\n<p>these proceedings. It is the appellant&#8217;s case that though the<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                5<\/span><br \/>\n                                      CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>aforesaid Suit was transferred to the District Court in Delhi on<\/p>\n<p>account of the revision of the pecuniary jurisdiction of the<\/p>\n<p>Delhi High Court, the said interim injunction still continued to<\/p>\n<p>operate, but despite the interim orders the Delhi Development<\/p>\n<p>Authority continued to impinge on the appellant&#8217;s property on<\/p>\n<p>which a Contempt Petition was filed in the High Court, which<\/p>\n<p>in its order dated 19th May 1992, directed the respondent<\/p>\n<p>authorities to ensure compliance with the High Court&#8217;s order<\/p>\n<p>dated 2nd April 1992 made in the civil suit. It is further the<\/p>\n<p>case of the appellant that some time later the Delhi<\/p>\n<p>Development Authority again tried to interfere with the<\/p>\n<p>appellant&#8217;s property on which yet another Contempt Petition<\/p>\n<p>No.36 of 1993 was filed and the same is said to be pending.<\/p>\n<p>The appellant, however, continued to be persist in its efforts to<\/p>\n<p>save the acquired land and at this stage filed C.W.P.No.700 of<\/p>\n<p>1994 in the Delhi High Court on 28th January 1994<\/p>\n<p>challenging, inter-alia, the constitutional validity of Section 22<\/p>\n<p>of the Delhi Development Act, whereunder the acquired land<\/p>\n<p>had been handed over to the DDA, and also praying for the<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                               6<\/span><br \/>\n                                     CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>allotment of an alternative site in lieu of the acquired land.<\/p>\n<p>This writ petition was dismissed as withdrawn on September<\/p>\n<p>8, 1995 the prayer of the counsel for the petitioner (the<\/p>\n<p>present appellant) in the following terms:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;Mr. Anand says, in view of the<br \/>\n          order dated 29.11.94, he would not press<br \/>\n          this petition at this stage and would<br \/>\n          apply for allotment of alternative land in<br \/>\n          the institutional area.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                Dismissed as withdrawn. However,<br \/>\n          we will make it clear that allotment of the<br \/>\n          alternative land be made to the petitioner<br \/>\n          as per policy.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>3.   Still dissatisfied, the appellant filed W.P. No. 623 of 1995<\/p>\n<p>in the Delhi High Court challenging some facets of the alleged<\/p>\n<p>violation of the Master Plan of 2001 which had statedly made<\/p>\n<p>the entire proceedings for the planned development of Delhi<\/p>\n<p>incohate and which had rendered the acquisition without any<\/p>\n<p>authority of law . This matter came up before the Delhi High<\/p>\n<p>Court after notice on 20th February 1995 on which the High<\/p>\n<p>Court observed that the petitioner was seeking two distinct<\/p>\n<p>prayers in the Writ Petition, (1) that the land which had been<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                  7<\/span><br \/>\n                                      CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>acquired under the Land Acquisition Act should be released<\/p>\n<p>from acquisition and (2) that the DDA should not be permitted<\/p>\n<p>to use the aforesaid land for a purpose other than that<\/p>\n<p>postulated in the Master Plan and the Zonal Development Plan<\/p>\n<p>and as the two prayers were mutually distinct and pertained<\/p>\n<p>to different causes of action, one writ petition was not<\/p>\n<p>maintainable. On this, the learned senior counsel for the<\/p>\n<p>appellant, Mr. R.K. Anand stated that he would file two<\/p>\n<p>separate writ petitions for which liberty was granted and the<\/p>\n<p>papers of CWP No. 623 of 1995 were accordingly returned to<\/p>\n<p>the counsel.       The appellant thereupon moved two writ<\/p>\n<p>petitions   i.e.   W.   P.   Nos. 1628\/1995   praying   that   the<\/p>\n<p>respondent DDA be restrained from taking over possession of<\/p>\n<p>the land and Writ Petition No. 1629\/1995 seeking to challenge<\/p>\n<p>the land acquisition proceedings which had been initiated by<\/p>\n<p>the Notification under Section 4 and Declaration under<\/p>\n<p>Section 6 of the Act in the year 1959 and 1966 respectively<\/p>\n<p>and also pleading that as the possession had not been taken,<\/p>\n<p>the land be released under Section 48 of the Act. The Division<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                               8<\/span><br \/>\n                                    CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>Bench while dealing with the question of possession held that<\/p>\n<p>the writ petitioner had only relied on two stray entries in two<\/p>\n<p>Khasra Girdawaris for the period 13th October 1980 to 11th<\/p>\n<p>March 1981 which had recorded the land to be &#8220;Gair Mumkin<\/p>\n<p>Kotha Pukhta and Char Diwari&#8221; and that this entry was<\/p>\n<p>meaningless in the light of the fact that the land had been<\/p>\n<p>described as &#8220;Rosli&#8221; (agricultural) and not a built up property<\/p>\n<p>in the award No.36\/80-81 dated 19.6.1980 and that in any<\/p>\n<p>case the plea appeared to be an after thought as it had not<\/p>\n<p>been taken by the petitioner though it was available at the<\/p>\n<p>time when Writ Petition No. 1068\/1980 (in the Delhi High<\/p>\n<p>Court) and Writ Petition No.2220\/1981 had been directly filed<\/p>\n<p>in this Court. The Court further held that it was clear from<\/p>\n<p>the proceedings recorded by Shri Lal Singh Naib Tehsildar,<\/p>\n<p>Land Acquisition, on 20th June 1980 in the presence of a large<\/p>\n<p>number of Revenue Officials that possession had indeed been<\/p>\n<p>taken over on that day after demarcation had been made with<\/p>\n<p>respect to 1933 bighas 2 biswas, including the land belonging<\/p>\n<p>to the appellant, and that boundary pillars had been affixed<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                               9<\/span><br \/>\n                                      CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>round the demarcated land and that the possession had<\/p>\n<p>further been handed over to Shri N.N. Seth, Tehsildar on 20th,<\/p>\n<p>21st, 23rd and 24th of June 1980. The Court also noted that the<\/p>\n<p>proceedings   aforementioned   were    witnessed    as   to   their<\/p>\n<p>authenticity by Shri N.N.Seth, and the two DDA Officials, Shri<\/p>\n<p>Raj Bahadur and Shri Gulab Singh.       The Division Bench in<\/p>\n<p>this background observed that possession had, in fact, been<\/p>\n<p>taken over after appropriate proceedings.          The two writ<\/p>\n<p>petitions were accordingly dismissed by the Division Bench of<\/p>\n<p>the Delhi High Court vide the impugned judgment leading to<\/p>\n<p>the present appeals as a consequence.\n<\/p>\n<p>4.   At the very outset, Mr. Sunil Gupta, the learned senior<\/p>\n<p>counsel for the appellant has candidly stated at the Bar that<\/p>\n<p>the appellant was no longer challenging the acquisition and<\/p>\n<p>the relief claimed in W.P. 1629\/1995 was, therefore, not being<\/p>\n<p>pursued in this appeal.    He has, however, prayed with the<\/p>\n<p>greatest emphasis, that in so far as the claim arising out of<\/p>\n<p>W.P. No.1628\/1995 was concerned it was clear from the<\/p>\n<p>record that possession of the appellant&#8217;s land i.e. 1 acre 8<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                10<\/span><br \/>\n                                      CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>Biswas continued to remain with the appellant despite the<\/p>\n<p>findings to the contrary recorded by the High Court, and as<\/p>\n<p>such it was open to the Government to withdraw from the<\/p>\n<p>acquisition if it so desired, under Section 48 of the Act.<\/p>\n<p>5.   In this background,       Mr. Gupta, has raised three<\/p>\n<p>arguments before us during the course of hearing.            He has<\/p>\n<p>first pointed out that it was the positive case of the appellant<\/p>\n<p>that the land in dispute was encircled by a boundary wall and<\/p>\n<p>as such possession thereof could be taken only after entering<\/p>\n<p>the land and not by any symbolic or paper possession. As a<\/p>\n<p>corollary, it has been submitted, that there was no material on<\/p>\n<p>record to show that the actual physical possession had been<\/p>\n<p>taken as would preclude the withdrawal of the acquisition<\/p>\n<p>under Section 48 of the Act. In this connection, the learned<\/p>\n<p>counsel has placed reliance on <a href=\"\/doc\/1537954\/\">Balwant Narayan Bhagde vs.<\/p>\n<p>M.D. Bhagat &amp; Ors.<\/a> (1976) 1 SCC 700 and Om Prakash &amp;<\/p>\n<p>Anr. Vs. State of U.P. &amp; Ors. (1998) 6 SCC 1 which had<\/p>\n<p>been subsequently followed in P.K.Kalburqi          vs. State of<\/p>\n<p>Karnataka &amp; Ors. (2005) 12 SCC 489.           It has finally been<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                              11<\/span><br \/>\n                                    CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>submitted that there was ample evidence on record to show<\/p>\n<p>that the property in dispute was, in fact, surrounded by a wall<\/p>\n<p>and had some other structures as well, and in view of the<\/p>\n<p>positive stand taken by the Land Acquisition Collector in his<\/p>\n<p>award dated 19th June 1980 that the possession of the area<\/p>\n<p>covered by structures would be the subject matter of a<\/p>\n<p>supplementary award, the very basis of the judgment of the<\/p>\n<p>High Court that the possession had been taken on the<\/p>\n<p>20th June 1980 was erroneous.\n<\/p>\n<p>6. Mr. Saharya and Mr. Wasim Quadri, the learned counsel<\/p>\n<p>appearing for the DDA and the Delhi Government respectively<\/p>\n<p>have controverted the submissions and have pointed out that<\/p>\n<p>the appellant had, for almost 30 years, been able to scuttle the<\/p>\n<p>development of the area by taking piecemeal stands in the writ<\/p>\n<p>petitions and civil suits from the year 1980 onwards and<\/p>\n<p>though the aforesaid matters had been rejected with positive<\/p>\n<p>findings that possession had been taken, and that there was no<\/p>\n<p>wall or structure on the land in question.     It has also been<\/p>\n<p>submitted that the proper procedure had been adopted by the<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                              12<\/span><br \/>\n                                    CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>Naib Tehsildar and that the possession had been taken over as<\/p>\n<p>per law on the 20th June 1980 and there was ample evidence to<\/p>\n<p>this effect which had been considered by the Division Bench.<\/p>\n<p>7.   We have heard the learned counsel for the parties very<\/p>\n<p>carefully. The Act provides a machinery for the acquisition of<\/p>\n<p>the land.   An acquisition is set in motion by a Notification<\/p>\n<p>under Section 4 when it is proposed to acquire any land for<\/p>\n<p>public purpose and Section 5A envisages the filing of<\/p>\n<p>objections with regard to the proposed acquisition. After the<\/p>\n<p>objections under Section 5A have been considered and been<\/p>\n<p>found without merit, a declaration under Section 6 of the Act<\/p>\n<p>is published that the land is indeed required for a public<\/p>\n<p>purpose.    Section 9 of the Act provides that after all the<\/p>\n<p>proceedings and certain other formalities have been completed<\/p>\n<p>the Collector shall give public notice that the Government<\/p>\n<p>intends to take possession of the land and calling upon the<\/p>\n<p>persons interested to file their claims for compensation. The<\/p>\n<p>matter is then enquired into by the Collector who renders his<\/p>\n<p>award under Section 11 of the Act and possession is taken by<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                              13<\/span><br \/>\n                                    CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>the Collector under Section 16 on which the land vests<\/p>\n<p>absolutely in the Government free from all encumbrances. It<\/p>\n<p>is the case of the respondent that all the procedures had been<\/p>\n<p>followed and that possession had been taken under Section 16<\/p>\n<p>on the 20th June 1980, and as such, the question of its release<\/p>\n<p>under Section 48 of the Act did not arise, as this provision<\/p>\n<p>gives &#8220;liberty to withdraw from the acquisition of any land of<\/p>\n<p>which possession has not been taken&#8221;. The question raised by<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Gupta is that as the area in question was very extensive<\/p>\n<p>i.e. about 1933 bigas and the land belonging to the appellant<\/p>\n<p>was surrounded by a boundary wall, symbolic possession was<\/p>\n<p>meaningless and some more positive action was called for. To<\/p>\n<p>support this view he has relied on the three judgments cited<\/p>\n<p>earlier.   We find, however, that the aforesaid judgments, in<\/p>\n<p>fact, help the case of the respondent rather than the other way<\/p>\n<p>around.      In Narayan Bhagde&#8217;s case, which was heard by<\/p>\n<p>three Hon&#8217;ble Judges of this Court one of the Hon&#8217;ble Judges<\/p>\n<p>(Untwalia,J.) held that the principles underlying Order 21,<\/p>\n<p>Rules 35, 36, 95 and 96 of the CPC prescribing the modes of<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                              14<\/span><br \/>\n                                    CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>delivery of possession including symbolic and actual could be<\/p>\n<p>applied to proceedings under the Act but the other two Hon&#8217;ble<\/p>\n<p>Judges (Bhagwati and Gupta,JJ.) held that the said provisions<\/p>\n<p>could not be applied to proceedings under the Act and that<\/p>\n<p>actual possession thereof was required to be taken.    In this<\/p>\n<p>background, the two Hon&#8217;ble Judges observed as under:-<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;We think it is enough to state that<br \/>\n     when the Government proceeds to take<br \/>\n     possession of the land acquired by it under the<br \/>\n     Land Acquisition Act, 1894, it must take<br \/>\n     actual possession of the land, since all<br \/>\n     interests in the land are sought to acquired by<br \/>\n     it.   There can be no question of taking<br \/>\n     `symbolical&#8217;    possession    in   the    sense<br \/>\n     understood by judicial decision under the<br \/>\n     Code of Civil Procedure. Nor would possession<br \/>\n     merely on paper be enough. What the Act<br \/>\n     contemplates as a necessary condition of<br \/>\n     vesting of the land in the Government is the<br \/>\n     taking of actual possession of the land. How<br \/>\n     such possession may be taken would depend<br \/>\n     on the nature of the land. Such possession<br \/>\n     would have to be taken as the nature of the<br \/>\n     land admits of. There can be no hard and fast<br \/>\n     rule laying down what act would be sufficient<br \/>\n     to constitute taking of possession of land.<br \/>\n     There cannot be an absolute and inviolable<br \/>\n     rule that merely going on the spot and making<br \/>\n     a declaration by beat of drum or otherwise<br \/>\n     would be sufficient to constitute taking of<br \/>\n     possession of land in every case. But here, in<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                   15<\/span><br \/>\n                                            CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>     our opinion, since the land was lying fallow<br \/>\n     and there was no crop on it at the material<br \/>\n     time, the act of the Tehsildar in going on the<br \/>\n     spot and inspecting the land for the purpose of<br \/>\n     determining what part was waste and arable<br \/>\n     and should, therefore, be taken possession of<br \/>\n     and determining its extent, was sufficient to<br \/>\n     constitute taking on possession. &#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>8.   In Om Prakash&#8217;s case (supra) the basic issue was as to<\/p>\n<p>whether the land which was the subject matter of acquisition<\/p>\n<p>could be acquired in view of the State policy that Abadi land<\/p>\n<p>was not to be acquired. It is in this connection, the Court<\/p>\n<p>observed that there appeared to be no conclusive evidence that<\/p>\n<p>possession had been taken from the land owner, and the<\/p>\n<p>matter was left open for the land owner to approach the State<\/p>\n<p>Government under Section 48 of the Act to have land released.<\/p>\n<p>In P.K.Kalburqi&#8217;s case (supra), a reference was made to the<\/p>\n<p>judgment in Narayan Bhagde&#8217;s case (supra) and it was once<\/p>\n<p>again reiterated that the procedure for taking possession<\/p>\n<p>would depend upon the nature of the land and the extent<\/p>\n<p>thereof.     A cumulative reading of the aforesaid judgments<\/p>\n<p>would      reveal   that   while   taking    symbolic   and   notional<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                             16<\/span><br \/>\n                                   CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>possession is perhaps not envisaged under the Act but the<\/p>\n<p>manner in which possession is taken must of necessity<\/p>\n<p>depend upon the facts of each case. Keeping this broad<\/p>\n<p>principal in mind, this Court in <a href=\"\/doc\/1285565\/\">Tamil Nadu Housing Board<\/p>\n<p>vs. Viswam (D)<\/a> by Lrs. AIR 1996 SC 3377 after considering<\/p>\n<p>the judgment in Narayan Bhagde&#8217;s case, observed that while<\/p>\n<p>taking possession of a large area of land (in this case 339<\/p>\n<p>acres) a pragmatic and realistic approach had to be taken.<\/p>\n<p>This Court then examined the context under which the<\/p>\n<p>judgment in Narayan Bhagde&#8217;s case had been rendered and<\/p>\n<p>held as under:\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>               &#8220;It is settled law by series of<br \/>\n          judgments of this Court that one of the<br \/>\n          accepted modes of taking possession of<br \/>\n          the acquired land is recording of a<br \/>\n          memorandum or Panchanama by the<br \/>\n          LAO in the presence of witnesses signed<br \/>\n          by him\/them and that would constitute<br \/>\n          taking possession of the land as it would<br \/>\n          be impossible to take physical possession<br \/>\n          of the acquired land.      It is common<br \/>\n          knowledge that in some cases the<br \/>\n          owner\/interested    person     may    not<br \/>\n          cooperative in taking possession of the<br \/>\n          land.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                              17<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                                    <a href=\"\/doc\/1013352\/\">CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>In Balmokand Khatri Educational and Industrial Trust,<\/p>\n<p>Amritsar vs. State of Punjab &amp; Ors. AIR<\/a> 1996 SC 1239 yet<\/p>\n<p>again the question was as to the taking over of the possession<\/p>\n<p>of agricultural land and it was observed thus:\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>           &#8220;It is seen that the entire gamut of the<br \/>\n     acquisition proceedings stood completed by<br \/>\n     April 17, 1976 by which date possession of the<br \/>\n     land had been taken. No doubt, Shri Parekh<br \/>\n     has contended that the appellant still retained<br \/>\n     their possession. It is now well-settled legal<br \/>\n     position that it is difficult to take physical<br \/>\n     possession of the land under compulsory<br \/>\n     acquisition.     The normal mode of taking<br \/>\n     possession is drafting the Panchnama in the<br \/>\n     presence of Panchas and taking possession<br \/>\n     and giving delivery to the beneficiaries is the<br \/>\n     accepted mode of taking possession of the<br \/>\n     land. Subsequent thereto, the retention of<br \/>\n     possession would tantamount only to illegal or<br \/>\n     un lawful possession.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>9.   It would, thus, be seen from a cumulative reading of the<\/p>\n<p>aforesaid judgments, that while taking possession of a large<\/p>\n<p>area of land with a large number of owners, it would be<\/p>\n<p>impossible for the Collector or the Revenue Official to enter<\/p>\n<p>each bigha or biswas and to take possession thereof and that<\/p>\n<p>a pragmatic approach has to be adopted by the Court. It is<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                  18<\/span><br \/>\n                                         CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>also clear that one of the methods of taking possession and<\/p>\n<p>handing it over to the beneficiary department is the recording<\/p>\n<p>of a Panchnama which can in itself constitute evidence of the<\/p>\n<p>fact that possession had been taken and the land had vested<\/p>\n<p>absolutely in the Government.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>10.     The question arises as to whether in the face of the<\/p>\n<p>above observations, the procedure adopted by the Naib<\/p>\n<p>Tehsildar,    Land Acquisition Shri Lal Singh was the correct<\/p>\n<p>one. The Award was rendered in the present matter on the<\/p>\n<p>19th   June    1980.   As   per    the   possession   proceedings<\/p>\n<p>(Panchnama) recorded by Shri Lal Singh dated the 20th June<\/p>\n<p>1980, possession of 1933 bighas 2 biswas of land had been<\/p>\n<p>taken over and handed over to the Revenue Department on the<\/p>\n<p>21st June 1980, 23rd June 1980 and 24th June 1980.         In the<\/p>\n<p>Panchnama it was also observed that the land had been<\/p>\n<p>demarcated and pillars had been affixed and that the physical<\/p>\n<p>possession had further been handed over to Shri N.N. Seth,<\/p>\n<p>Tehsildar, the   representative of the beneficiary department.<\/p>\n<p>Admittedly, Khasra No.157 was covered by this document. It is<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                               19<\/span><br \/>\n                                     CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>recorded that the possession of the land under the built up<\/p>\n<p>area of 160 bighas 6 biswas could not be handed over and the<\/p>\n<p>details of this land have also been provided in the aforesaid<\/p>\n<p>document. Khasra No.157 does not come in this category.<\/p>\n<p>Mr.Gupta has, however, emphasized that some material<\/p>\n<p>documents which show the possession had not been taken on<\/p>\n<p>20th June, as alleged, had been ignored by the Division Bench<\/p>\n<p>which he has referred us to the Khasra Girdwaris for the years<\/p>\n<p>1980-81 and 1981-82 showing the existence of a Char Diwari.<\/p>\n<p>He has, accordingly, submitted that the observations in the<\/p>\n<p>award that the appellant&#8217;s land was &#8220;Rosli&#8221; was incorrect in<\/p>\n<p>the light of this record. We find absolutely no merit in this<\/p>\n<p>plea.   A Khasra Girdwari which is a mere crop inspection<\/p>\n<p>report entered twice a year (Kharif and Rabi crops)      has no<\/p>\n<p>presumption of truth attached to it. Even otherwise the state<\/p>\n<p>of the land as on the date of the Notification under Section 4 of<\/p>\n<p>the Act (which is 13th November 1959) would be the relevant<\/p>\n<p>date as to the nature of the land and a crop inspection report<\/p>\n<p>20 years later cannot be taken as proof of some facts said to<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                  20<\/span><br \/>\n                                             CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>exist in the year 1959. Mr. Gupta has also stressed that from<\/p>\n<p>the Award itself it was clear that the wall standing on Khasra<\/p>\n<p>No.157 had been assessed to a compensation of Rs.420\/- and<\/p>\n<p>as such the observations in the award                      that land was<\/p>\n<p>agricultural was erroneous.            Mr. Saharya has, however,<\/p>\n<p>pointed out that the part of the Award to which reference has<\/p>\n<p>been made by Mr. Gupta is captioned as &#8220;Wells and<\/p>\n<p>Structures&#8217; and that a reference to a wall in the body is<\/p>\n<p>typographical error. We reproduce the relevant portion of the<\/p>\n<p>award herein under:\n<\/p>\n<p>Wells and Structures<\/p>\n<p>              &#8220;The land under acquisition has number of<br \/>\n     wells, water channel and structures. The Assistant<br \/>\n     Engineer (Valuation) has made the rate assessment<br \/>\n     of each of these items to which I agree and award<br \/>\n     accordingly subject to the verification at the time of<br \/>\n     possession as per details given as under: &#8211;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                                                  Value<br \/>\n               Kh.No.           Item            Assessed<br \/>\n                        Well, Drain, Water<br \/>\n            555\/2\/2     tank                  Rs.6920\/-\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<pre>            254         Well Structure        Rs.2490\/-\n            577\/430     -do-                  Rs.2130\/-\n            217         Well Structure        Rs.2730\/-\n            100         Structure             Rs.260\/-\n            670\/27      -do-                  Rs.3320\/-\n            15          Well                  Rs.4030\/-\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                           21<\/span>\n                                       CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000\n\n\n                Structure\/Room\n                Well, Water tank,\n29              Room &amp; Structures       Rs.3490\/-\n                Well, Structures,\n                Water tank, rooms &amp;\n139             drains                  4600\/-\n                Well Structures,\n160             room &amp; drain            Rs.2750\/-\n394             Well Structures         Rs.4690\/-\n399             -do-                    Rs.2380\/-\n242             Structure               Rs.540\/-\n149             -do-                    Rs.260\/-\n580\/148         Wall                    Rs.1264\/-\n157             -do-                    Rs.420\n                Well, Water Tank,\n172             drain Structure         Rs.7960\/-\n298             -do-                    Rs.4890\/-\n333             wells, Structure        Rs.5350\/-\n                Structure &amp;\n20              Compound wall           Rs.3300\/-\n                Well, Water drains,\n195\/2           Water tank &amp; room       Rs.7530\/-\n321             -do-                    Rs.7250\/-\n                Well, Water tank\n478             drains &amp; rooms          Rs.6665\/-\n                Room, water tank,\n321             drain                   Rs.1125\/-\n478             Drain                   Rs.360\/-\n                Well, water tank,\n92              drain, Khurli, rooms    Rs.7260\/-\n                Well, water tank,\n                drain khurli, rooms,\n155             verandah                Rs.6720\/-\n                Well, Water tank,\n597\/202\/264     Room                    Rs.2700\/-\n                Well, Water tank,\n                Water Channel\n455             room                    Rs.2790\/-\n                Well, Water tank,\n86              drains, rooms           Rs.3320\/-\n                                            Value\n     No.                 Item             assessed\n514             Well                    Rs.1720\/-\n464             -do-                    Rs.2850\/-\n688\/518\/119\/2   -do-                    Rs.2290\/-\n189             -do-                    Rs.1820\/-\n436             Well, structures        Rs.1020\/-\n210             Well                    Rs.2060\/-\n453             -do-                    Rs.5650\/-\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                 22<\/span>\n                                        CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000\n\n\n                        Total:               Rs.1,21,189-00\n\n\n                There are water channels running\n<\/pre>\n<blockquote><p>      through Kh. Nos. 228, 635\/251, 254, 253,<br \/>\n      255, 250, 263, 597\/262, 261, 269, 434, 435,<br \/>\n      440, 442, 443, 444, 445 &amp; 446. The Naib-\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>      Tehsildar has made a detailed valuation to<br \/>\n      which I agree and award Rs.2870\/- as<br \/>\n      compensation as these channels.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>11.       A reading of the above extract reveals that wells, and<\/p>\n<p>         structures   connected       with     wells,     and   irrigation<\/p>\n<p>         facilities have been referred to therein and an<\/p>\n<p>         independent wall is not even remotely the subject<\/p>\n<p>         matter. Mr. Gupta has, however, seriously objected<\/p>\n<p>         to this explanation by submitting that no plea<\/p>\n<p>         doubting the accuracy of the document having been<\/p>\n<p>         raised in the counter affidavit, the respondents were<\/p>\n<p>         now precluded from making this submission. We,<\/p>\n<p>         however, feel that in the light of the context in which<\/p>\n<p>         the entire matter has been dealt with in the Award,<\/p>\n<p>         there can be no doubt that the entry `wall&#8217; should be<\/p>\n<p>         read as `well&#8217; vis-`-vis Khasra No.157. There is yet<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                      23<\/span><br \/>\n                              CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>another circumstance, perhaps even more relevant.<\/p>\n<p>We find that no question had ever been raised by the<\/p>\n<p>appellant with regard to the presence of a wall in the<\/p>\n<p>objections filed under Section 5A or even in the<\/p>\n<p>responses filed to the notices under Section 9 of the<\/p>\n<p>Act and the only prayer was that the land be<\/p>\n<p>exempted from acquisition (Item no.36).           These<\/p>\n<p>omissions become more significant as several other<\/p>\n<p>landowners    had   claimed    compensation    for   the<\/p>\n<p>superstructures that were existing on the acquired<\/p>\n<p>land. It is also equally significant, as pointed out by<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Saharya, that no question had ever been raised<\/p>\n<p>by the appellant with regard to the existence of a wall<\/p>\n<p>or superstructure in any of the litigations prior to the<\/p>\n<p>present set of Writ Petitions.       Mr. Gupta has,<\/p>\n<p>however, referred us to the objections dated 15th<\/p>\n<p>November 1966 showing the existence of a wall.<\/p>\n<p>These objections are, to our mind, meaningless as<\/p>\n<p>they had not been filed in response to the notification<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                              24<\/span><br \/>\n                                     CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>        under Section 4 which had been published in the<\/p>\n<p>        year 1959 and were filed after the declaration under<\/p>\n<p>        Section 6 had been made and are, therefore, an<\/p>\n<p>        obvious after thought.      It also bears notice that<\/p>\n<p>        despite the claim under this document, no plea with<\/p>\n<p>        regard to the existence of a wall had been raised at<\/p>\n<p>        any stage till the filing of the present petitions in the<\/p>\n<p>        year 1995.\n<\/p>\n<p>12.   Mr. Gupta has, with great emphasis, pointed out that<\/p>\n<p>from the affidavit dated 30th July 1996 sworn by Mr.<\/p>\n<p>G.S.Meena, Under Secretary, Land and Building Department,<\/p>\n<p>it was clear that the appellant continued to remain in<\/p>\n<p>possession on account of the stay of dispossession granted by<\/p>\n<p>the High Court on 15th July 1981 in WP No. 2220\/1981 and<\/p>\n<p>the confirmation of the said order on 16th September 1982 and<\/p>\n<p>as such the stand of the appellants that possession had been<\/p>\n<p>taken was not correct.   We have, however, already observed<\/p>\n<p>that possession had been taken between 20th and 24th June<\/p>\n<p>1980, and the acquired land thus stood vested in the State<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                 25<\/span><br \/>\n                                        CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>free from all encumbrances under Section 16 of the Act. It is<\/p>\n<p>also   relevant   that   the   afore-referred   writ   petition   was<\/p>\n<p>dismissed meaning thereby that the said order should<\/p>\n<p>automatically be vacated as well.          Even assuming for a<\/p>\n<p>moment that the petitioner had re-possessed the acquired<\/p>\n<p>land at some stage would be of no consequence in view of the<\/p>\n<p>provisions of section 16 ibidem. In Narayan Bhagde&#8217;s case<\/p>\n<p>(supra) one of the arguments raised by the land owner was<\/p>\n<p>that as per the communication of the Commissioner the land<\/p>\n<p>was still with the land owner and possession thereof had not<\/p>\n<p>been taken. The Bench observed that the letter was based on<\/p>\n<p>a misconception as the land owner had re-entered the<\/p>\n<p>acquired land immediately after its possession had been taken<\/p>\n<p>by the government ignoring the scenario that he stood divested<\/p>\n<p>of the possession, under Section 16 of the Act.          This Court<\/p>\n<p>observed as under:\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                  &#8220;This was plainly erroneous view, for<br \/>\n        the legal position is clear that even if the<br \/>\n        appellant entered upon the land and resumed<br \/>\n        possession of it the very next moment after the<br \/>\n        land was actually taken possession of and<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                  26<\/span><br \/>\n                                         CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>           became vested in the Government, such act on<br \/>\n           the part of the appellant did not have the effect of<br \/>\n           obliterating the consequences of vesting.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>To our mind, therefore, even assuming that the appellant had<\/p>\n<p>re-entered the land on account of the various interim orders<\/p>\n<p>granted by the courts, or even otherwise, it would have no<\/p>\n<p>effect for two reasons, (1) that the suits\/petitions were<\/p>\n<p>ultimately dismissed and (2) that the land once having vested<\/p>\n<p>in the Government by virtue of Section 16 of the Act, re-entry<\/p>\n<p>by the land owner would not obliterate the consequences of<\/p>\n<p>vesting.\n<\/p>\n<p>12.   We must also observe that the petitioner has been able<\/p>\n<p>      to frustrate the acquisition and development of the land<\/p>\n<p>      right from the 1980 onwards by taking recourse to one<\/p>\n<p>      litigation after the other. The record reveals that all the<\/p>\n<p>      suits\/writ petitions etc. that had been filed had failed.<\/p>\n<p>      Undoubtedly, every citizen has a right to utilize all legal<\/p>\n<p>      means which are open to him in a bid to vindicate and<\/p>\n<p>      protect his rights, but if the court comes to the<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                              27<\/span><br \/>\n                                    CA Nos.4849-4850\/2000<\/p>\n<p>     conclusion that the pleas raised are frivolous and meant<\/p>\n<p>     to frustrate and delay an acquisition which is in public<\/p>\n<p>     interest, deterrent action is called for. This is precisely<\/p>\n<p>     the situation in the present matter.        The appeals are,<\/p>\n<p>     accordingly, dismissed with costs which are determined<\/p>\n<p>     at Rupees two lacs.     The respondents, shall, without<\/p>\n<p>     further loss of time proceed against the appellant.<\/p>\n<p>                                    &#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.J.<br \/>\n                                    (Dalveer Bhandari)<\/p>\n<p>                                     &#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;J.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                    (Harjit Singh Bedi)<br \/>\nNew Delhi,<br \/>\nDated: September 15, 2009<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court of India Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New &#8230; vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; &#8230; on 15 September, 2009 Author: H S Bedi Bench: Dalveer Bhandari, Harjit Singh Bedi IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CIVIL APPEAL Nos. 4849-4850 of 2000 Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New Delhi &#8230;.Appellant Vs. Lt. Governor, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-supreme-court-of-india"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New ... vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; ... on 15 September, 2009 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New ... vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; ... on 15 September, 2009 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-09-14T18:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-12-24T11:12:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Legal India Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@legaliadmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Legal_india\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Legal India Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"25 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Legal India Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea\"},\"headline\":\"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New &#8230; vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; &#8230; on 15 September, 2009\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-09-14T18:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-12-24T11:12:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009\"},\"wordCount\":4711,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Supreme Court of India\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009\",\"name\":\"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New ... vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; ... on 15 September, 2009 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-09-14T18:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-12-24T11:12:18+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New &#8230; vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; &#8230; on 15 September, 2009\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\",\"name\":\"Free Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\",\"description\":\"Search and read the latest judgements, orders, and rulings from the Supreme Court of India and all High Courts. A comprehensive database for lawyers, advocates, and law students.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Free judgements of Supreme Court & High Court of India | Legal India\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\",\"alternateName\":\"Legal India\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/legal-india-icon.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/legal-india-icon.jpg\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/LegalindiaCom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Legal_india\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea\",\"name\":\"Legal India Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Legal India Admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/legaliadmin\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/author\\\/legal-india-admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New ... vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; ... on 15 September, 2009 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New ... vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; ... on 15 September, 2009 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","og_url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009","og_site_name":"Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/","article_published_time":"2009-09-14T18:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-12-24T11:12:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":512,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Legal India Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@legaliadmin","twitter_site":"@Legal_india","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Legal India Admin","Est. reading time":"25 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009"},"author":{"name":"Legal India Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/person\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea"},"headline":"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New &#8230; vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; &#8230; on 15 September, 2009","datePublished":"2009-09-14T18:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-12-24T11:12:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009"},"wordCount":4711,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Supreme Court of India"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009","name":"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New ... vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; ... on 15 September, 2009 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-09-14T18:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-12-24T11:12:18+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/sita-ram-bhandar-society-new-vs-lt-governorgovt-of-nct-delhi-on-15-september-2009#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New &#8230; vs Lt.Governor,Govt.Of Nct Delhi &amp; &#8230; on 15 September, 2009"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/","name":"Free Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India","description":"Search and read the latest judgements, orders, and rulings from the Supreme Court of India and all High Courts. A comprehensive database for lawyers, advocates, and law students.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Free judgements of Supreme Court & High Court of India | Legal India","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization","name":"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India","alternateName":"Legal India","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Legal_india"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/person\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea","name":"Legal India Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Legal India Admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com","https:\/\/x.com\/legaliadmin"],"url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/author\/legal-india-admin"}]}},"modified_by":null,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107351\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}