Government Grants Act, 1895

The State of Madhya Pradesh sought to evict Gwalior Dairy Limited (the Company) for failure to pay rent under a lease originally granted for one year and later extended for ten years, and subsequently renewed in 1971. The Company argued it was not a "Government lessee" within the meaning of Section 181 of the Madhya Pr…

The legal heirs of the late S.V. Srinivasulu Naidu claimed that Union of India had illegally grabbed 7,128.5 sq. yards of land that their father had purchased, relying on a prior suit where the plaintiffs were declared owners of 4,971.5 sq. yards. The Union appealed the Tribunal's order under the Andhra Pradesh Land Gr…

The State of Uttar Pradesh leased a Nazul (government) property at 19 Clive Road, Allahabad to a private company, which later mortgaged its leasehold interest to United Bank of India without obtaining prior State sanction. The Bank obtained a mortgage decree and later sought conversion of the leasehold into freehold, i…

The respondents applied to the District Industries Centre for a parcel of Nazul land (Survey No. 462) to set up an industrial unit. The Collector transferred the land to the Industries Centre on 27 July 1991 and later, after the Madhya Pradesh Housing Board objected, ordered a status‑quo restraining construction. While…

The State of Bihar (later Jharkhand) granted Tata Steel 350 acres of land in 1969 (Grant‑I) for a 99‑year lease, requiring use of the land for a specified industrial purpose within one year. Tata Steel utilized about 200 acres for its alloy and steel plants. In 1973 the State transferred 1,266 acres to the Bihar Indust…

The Supreme Court examined the renewal of a 30‑year lease granted by the Ujjain Development Authority (UDA) to Mis Ajar Enterprises Private Limited (Ajar) after the leasehold interest was acquired from the liquidated IISCO. The Court held that Rule 24 and Rule 25 of the Madhya Pradesh Nagar Tatha Gram Nivesh Vikasit Bh…

The appellant, a private firm, obtained a three‑year licence from the Government of Tamil Nadu to collect chank shells from coastal sites, the agreement containing Clause 7 which allowed the government to terminate the licence at any time without cause. After commencing operations, the government invoked Clause 7 and t…

The Anamalai Club held a licence for 28.70 acres of government land for sports and recreation. The State of Tamil Nadu terminated the licence under Section 3 of the Government Grants Act, 1895 and resumed possession with police assistance on the same day, without issuing a notice under the Tamil Nadu Public Premises (E…

The appellant, Kanwar Lal, succeeded to a 1920 lease of 4,805 acres granted under the Government Grants Act, 1895, which was later taken over by the Uttar Pradesh Government Estates Thekedari Abolition Act, 1958. The State amended the Grants Act and later enacted the Validation Act, 1970 to revive the earlier notificat…

The State of Odisha granted a 90‑year lease of a plot in 1981. In 2003 it issued a policy allowing conversion of such leasehold plots to freehold, subject to the condition that the lessee must not be encroaching on any government land. The respondent applied for conversion on 15 September 2003, but the revenue officer …

The Supreme Court examined a dispute where the Uttar Pradesh Government, under a lease deed dated 19 March 1996, cancelled the lease of a plot in Allahabad and resumed possession for public purposes such as extending the High Court building. The lessees challenged the cancellation, alleging violation of Article 14 and …

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) auctioned a lease‑hold residential plot that had been acquired by the Income Tax Department under Section 269UD of the Income Tax Act, which had already paid the unearned increase to DDA. M/s. Karamdeep Finance & Investment (I) Pvt. Ltd. purchased the plot at auction, later applied…

Gulzar Singh was granted 25 kanals 4 marlas of Nazool land by the Collector, Ludhiana, on 17 June 1968 subject to paying Rs.1,520 as redemption of a possessory mortgage. He paid the amount on 30 June 1968 and took possession, but the Collector cancelled the grant on 13 September 1968, claiming that the mortgagees had e…

The dispute concerned a 0.90‑acre parcel of land in Pune Cantonment held under an 1827 government grant. The respondents had purchased the lease‑hold rights and the superstructure on the land, while the Union of India (Pune Cantonment Board) issued a resumption notice in 1971 claiming the land remained government prope…

Pradeep Oil Corporation was granted land by the Government under the Government Grants Act to erect petroleum storage tanks and related structures. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi assessed property tax on the tanks, treating them as "buildings". The corporation argued the grant was a lease, making the corporation li…

The petitioners, Express Newspapers Pvt. Ltd. and others, challenged two notices: one issued by the Engineer Officer, Land & Development Office, for re-entry upon forfeiture of lease, and another by the Zonal Engineer (Building), Municipal Corporation of Delhi, for demolition of the Express Building. The petitioners al…

The appellant, Raghubar Dayal (deceased), was granted parcels of land in 1956 under the Government Grants Act, 1895 for personal cultivation, subject to lease‑like covenants. In 1974 the prescribed authority, invoking the U.P. Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960, issued a notice determining surplus land an…