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Supreme Court of India

GURBACHAN SINGH AND ANR.versusUNION OF INDIA AND ANR.

Citation
1996 INSC 218
Decided
9 February 1996
Disposal
Dismissed

Holding

A writ petition under Article 32 challenging a Supreme Court order passed under Article 136 is not maintainable; such orders are not amenable to judicial review under Article 32.

Summary

Gurbachan Singh and another filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution challenging a Supreme Court order passed under Article 136 that set aside a High Court and arbitrator award of enhanced solatium and interest under the Land Acquisition Act, 1864 (as amended by Amendment Act 68 of 1984) in respect of lands acquired under the Requisition and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1952. The Supreme Court had earlier held that the amendment act did not apply to the award under Section 8 of the Requisition and Acquisition Act, rendering the direction for interest and solatium without jurisdiction and a nullity. The petition sought to know whether such a Supreme Court order could be reviewed under Article 32. Relying on Abdul Rehman Antulay v. Union of India and the Khoday Distilleries decisions, the Court held that a writ petition challenging the correctness of a Supreme Court order passed under Article 136 is not maintainable under Article 32, though a review petition remains available. Consequently, the writ petition was dismissed.

Issues considered

  • Whether a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution can be filed to challenge a Supreme Court order passed under Article 136.
  • Whether such Supreme Court orders are amenable to judicial review under Article 32.

Legislation cited

Subjects

Article 32Article 136Supreme Court jurisdictionjudicial reviewwrit petitionland acquisitionsolatiuminterestnullityreview petition

Judgment

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A                        GURBACHAN SINGH AND ANR.
                                            v.
                           UNION OF INDIA AND ANR.

                                 FEBRUARY 9, 1996

B                [K. RAMASWAMY AND G.B. PATTANAIK, JJ.]

            Constitution of India, 1950 :

         A1ticles 32, 136-Special Leave Petition-Judgment and order passed
C   thereon-Whether amenable to judicial review under Art. 32--Held : No.

          Abdul Rehman Antulay v. Union of India & Ors. Etc., (1984) 3 SCR
    482; Khoday Distilleries Limited & Anr. v. The Registrar General $upreme
    Court of India., W.P.(C) No. 803 of (1995) andM/S. Khoday Distilleries Ltd.
    & Anr. v. State of Kamataka & Ors., [1995) 1 SCC 574, relied on.
D
            CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION : Writ Petition (C) No. 782 of
    1994.

            (Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India.)

E           Ms. Nanita Sharma for R.C. Gubrele for the Petitioners.

            The following Order of the Court was delivered :

          The writ petition is filed against the order passed by this Court under
    Article 136 allowing the appeal and setting aside the order of the High
F   Court and arbitrator awarding enhanced solatium and interest under the
    Land Acquisition Act, 1864 as amended by Amendment Act 68 of 1984 in
    respect of lands acquired under Requisition and Acquisition of the Immov-
    able Property Act, 1952. A three-Judge Bench of this Court had held that
    the Amendment Act 68 of 1984 or the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 has no
G   application to the award passed under Section 8 of the Requisition and
    Acquisition of the Immovable Property Act. Consequently, the direction
    and order for the payment of interest and solatium was held to be without
    jurisdiction and, therefore, it would be nullity. The question then is
    whether writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution would lie ?

H           Dealing with the same question in Abdul Rehman Antulay v. Union
                                            400
f                         GURBACHAN SINGH v. U.O.I.                         401

    of India & Ors. Etc., [1984) 3 SCR 482 this Court had observed thus :         A
             "In my view, the writ petition challenging the validity of the order
             and judgment passed by this Court as nullity or otherwise incorrect
             cannot be entertained. I wish to make it clear that the dismissal of
             this writ petition will not prejudice the right of the petitioner, to ·
             approach the Court with an appropriate review petition or to file B
             any other application which he may be entitled in law to file".

         Following the above ratio, in Klwday Distille1ies Limited & Anr. v.
    The Registrar General, Supreme Cowt of India, W.P. (C) No. 803 of (1995)
    decided on December 5, 1995, a three-Judge Bench (to which one of us,
    K. Ramaswamy, J. was a member) has held that after the decision of this       c
    Court in Mis. Kltoday Distilleries Ltd. & Anr. v. State of Kamataka & Ors.,
    [1995) 1 SCC 574 writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution can-
    vassing the correctness of the decision of this Court, is not maintainable.

           Thus the judgement and order of this Court passed under Article D
    136 is not amenable to judicial review under Article 32 of the Constitution.

           The writ petition is accordingly dismissed.

    G.N.                                                    Petition dismissed.


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