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PETITIONER: STATE OF KARNATAKA & ORS

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: NARASIMHAMURTHY & ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT11/08/1995

BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. HANSARIA B.L. (J)

CITATION:  1996 AIR   90            1995 SCC  (5) 524  JT 1995 (6)   375        1995 SCALE  (4)853

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT:                          O R D E R      Leave granted.      By our  order dated July 27, 1995 we had noted that the 1st respondent  after becoming major was duly served and was not represented  by any counsel nor did he appear in person. We adjourned  the matter  to enable  the State to remove the defect of  having discharged  the  second  respondent-father from guardianship  of the  first respondent. To-day, we have passed  an   order  discharging  the  second  respondent  as guardian of the first respondent.      The notification  under Section  3 (1) of the Karnataka Acquisition of  Land for Grant of House Sites Act, 1972 (for short,‘the Act’) was published in the Gazette on February 3, 1975.  When   measurement  of  the  land  was  being  taken, Venktappa,  the   second  respondent,  appeared  before  the authorities  concerned   and  represented   that  the  first respondent, his  minor son  had purchased  the property from its owner,  viz., Houlabi,  wife of Khaja Sab. Subsequently, he recommended to the Government to issue final notification under Section  3 (4)  of  the  Act.  The  first  respondent, through his  father, challenged  the  notification  in  Writ Petition No.12705/84.  Learned Single Judge and the Division Bench of  the High  Court quashed  the notification  on  the ground that  the  name  of  the  first  respondent  was  not mentioned in  the notification  as required by Section 3 (1) and that,  therefore, the  notification is  vitiated  by  an error apparent  on the  face of record. Thus, this appeal by special  leave   against  the  Division  Bench  order  dated February 19, 1986 passed in writ Appeal No. 332 of 1986.      The question  is whether  the omission  to mention  the name of the 1st respondent in the notification under Section 3 (1)  vitiates its  validity. Section 3 of the Act reads as follows:      "3. Acquisition of land. - (1) If at any      time,  in   the  opinion  of  the  State

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    Government any  land is required for the      purpose of  providing house sites to the      weaker  sections   of  people   who  are      houseless, the  State Government may, by      notification,   give   notice   of   its      intention to acquire such land.      (2) On the publication of a notification      under   sub-section   (1),   the   State      Government shall  serve notice  upon the      owner or  where the  owner  is  not  the      occupier, on  the occupier  of the  land      and  on   all  such   persons  known  or      believed to  be  interested  therein  to      show cause,  within thirty days from the      date of  service of  the notice, why the      land should not be acquired.      (3) After considering the cause, if any,      shown by  the owner  of the  land and by      any other person interested therein, and      after giving  such owner  and person  an      opportunity of  being heard,  the  State      Government may  pass such  orders as  it      deems fit.      (4) After  orders are  passed under sub-      section (3),  where the State Government      is satisfied  that any  land  should  be      acquired for  the purpose  specified  in      the  notification   issued  under   sub-      section  (1)  a  declaration  shall,  by      notification, be made to that effect.      (5) On  the publication  in the Official      Gazette of  the declaration  under  sub-      section  (4),   the  land   shall   vest      absolutely in  the State Government free      from all encumbrances.      (6) Where  any land  is  vested  in  the      State Government  under sub-section (5),      the State  Government may,  by notice in      writing, order  any person who may be in      possession of  the land  to surrender or      deliver possession  thereof to the State      Government      or   any   person   duly      authorised by  it in  this behalf within      thirty  days   of  the  service  of  the      notice.      (7) If  any person  refuses or  fails to      comply with  any order  made under  sub-      section (6), the State Government or any      officer   authorised    by   the   State      Government  in   this  behalf  may  take      possession of  the land and may for that      purpose  use   such  force   as  may  be      necessary."      A reading of Section 3 (1) clearly indicates that if at any time  State Government  has the intention to acquire any land for  the purpose of providing house sites to the weaker sections  of   the  people  who  are  houseless,  the  State Government  may,   by  notification,   give  notice  of  its intention to  acquire such  land. The notice as contemplated under sub-section  (1) per  se does  not envisage to include the name  of the  owner in  the notification published under sub-section (1)  of Section 3 of the Act. What Section 3 (1) envisages  is  that  the  notification  should  specify  the Government’s  intention   to  acquire   the  land  which  is mandatory. Sub-section  (2) of  the Act  postulates that  on

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publication of  a notification  under sub-section  (1),  the State Government  shall serve notice upon the owner or where the owner is not the occupier, upon the occupier of the land and all  such persons  known or  believed to  be  interested therein, to  show cause  within thirty days from the date of service of notice as to why the land should not be acquired. Therefore, when  the follow  up action  is being taken under sub-section (2)  of Section  3, notice  shall be served upon the owner  or where  the owner  is not  the occupier, on the occupier of the land and all persons known or believed to be interested   therein to show cause as to why the acquisition should not  be proceeded  with for  the public  purpose.  In other words, the opportunity shall be given to the owner who is known  by the  entries in the mutation proceedings or the occupier of  the land or person/persons known or believed to be interested in the land. Admittedly, Houlabi (the recorded owner) was given notice and she did not appear. The mutation proceedings did not contain the name of the first respondent nor was  it effected  in the  record.  Consequently,  notice could not be issued to the 1st respondent.      It is  stated in the Special Leave Petition that at the time when  the measurement was being taken, obviously, after the publication of the notification under sub-section (1) of section 3  of the Act, the second respondent had represented to the competent authority that the first respondent was the owner. Thereafter,  it  is  also  stated  that  he  had  not objected to  the acquisition.  No action  had been  taken to have the  name mutated  in the revenue records except filing of  the  writ  petition  challenging  the  validity  of  the notification.      Right to  shelter is  a fundamental right under Article 19 (1)  of the Constitution. To make the right meaningful to the  poor,   the  State  has  to    provide  facilities  and opportunity to  build house.  Acquisition  of  the  land  to provide house  sites to  the  poor  houseless  is  a  public purpose as  it is  a constitutional  duty of  the  State  to provide  house   sites  to   the  poor.   Admittedly,  final notification under  sub-section (4) of Section 3 did contain the name of the first respondent.      Under these  circumstances, the  High Court was clearly in error  in holding  that the  notification published under sub-section 3 (1) of the Act was vitiated by error of law on account of omission to have the name of the owner, viz., the first  respondent,   published  in  the  notification  under Section 3 (1).      The appeal is accordingly allowed and the writ petition stands dismissed but, in the circumstances, without costs.