IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD (Special Original Jurisdiction) SATURDAY, THE SIXTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT PRESENT THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY WRIT PETITION NO:26189 of 2000 Between: Golla Ramalakshmamma ..... PETITIONER AND The Mandal Revenue Officer, Kalyandurg Mandal .....RESPONDENTS Counsel for the Petitioner:NONE APPEARED Counsel for the Respondent: AGP FOR REVENUE The Court made the following : ORDER: This writ petition is ﬁled for a writ of mandamus to declare the inaction of the respondent in granting D-form patta to the petitioner in respect of land admeasuring Ac.0.85 cents in Survey No.383/2C.1 of East Kodipalli Village, Kalyandurg Mandal, Anantapur District, as illegal and arbitrary. At the hearing, there is no representation for the petitioner. I have perused the record. In her aﬃdavit, the petitioner averred that she belongs to B.C. community and that she occupied an extent of Ac.1.55 cents of land in the above mentioned survey number 30 years back and has been cultivating the same. She further averred that she was granted D-form patta on 14.07.1994 to an extent of Ac.0.70 cents of land out of an extent of Ac.1.55 cents of land by sub-dividing the Survey Number 383-2C as 383/C2 and the balance extent of Ac.0.85 cents of land is proposed to be assigned to third parties. Her grievance is that despite several representations made to the respondent, she is not granted patta. No counter-affidavit is filed by the respondent. From the facts stated by the petitioner, it is clear that out of an extent of Ac.1.55 cents of land, she was already granted patta in respect of land of an extent of Ac.0.70 cents. Admittedly, the land belongs to the Government. The respondent, who is entrusted with the duty to assign the lands to the eligible poor persons, is entitled to dispose of the lands, at his disposal, in accordance with the provisions of the Board Standing Orders (BSO). If the petitioner’s claim for assignment of the balance land is found justiﬁable and if she ﬁgured at the top in order of priority as envisaged in the BSO, she is entitled to the grant of assignment of the balance extent of land. Conversely, if there are certain other persons, who are also equally eligible as the petitioner is for grant of assignment, the respondents shall consider the competing claims of the petitioner and others and decide as to who should be granted the assignment. If the petitioner feels aggrieved by the order of assignment in favour of third parties, she is entitled to question the said order by availing the remedy of appeal under the BSO. The respondent is, therefore, directed to take a decision on the application made by the petitioner in respect of the balance extent of Ac.0.85 cents of land, if such a decision has not already been taken, within a period of three (3) months from the date of receipt of a copy of this order, after giving notice to the petitioner and other interested persons. Subject to the above observations, the writ petition is disposed of. C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY, J 6th SEPTEMBER, 2008. kvni