1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD WRIT PETITION NO.7765 OF 2009 Kalyan s/o Eknath Bhate, R/o-Sonpethwadi, Tq. & Dist-Beed. ...PETITIONER. VERSUS 1) The State of Maharashtra, Through its Secretary, Irrigation Department, Mantralaya, Mumbai, 2) The Collector, Beed, Nagar Road, Beed, 3) Special Land Acquisition Officer, Jayakwadi Project, Beed. ...RESPONDENTS. ... Mr.K.B. Jadhavar Advocate for Petitioner. Mr.S.K. Tambe, A.G.P. for Respondents. ... CORAM: A.M. KHANWILKAR AND S.S. SHINDE, JJ. DATE : 11TH JANUARY, 2010. 2 PER COURT : 1. Heard learned counsel for the parties. Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. By consent of the learned counsel for the parties, the matter is taken up for final hearing at the stage of admission itself. 2. The limited grievance made in this Petition is that the Respondent No.3, Special Land Acquisition Officer, Jayakwadi Project, Beed has not forwarded the Reference although submitted by the Petitioner as back as on 22nd August, 2002. 3. The learned A.G.P. appearing for the Respondents, in all fairness, states that once such reference is received, the authority cannot sit over the reference and is under statutory obligation to forward the same in accordance with law. In other words, the inaction of the Respondent No.3 is indefensible. In the circumstances, this Writ Petition is made absolute 3 in terms of prayer clause (C). The Respondent No.3 shall take appropriate steps as may be permissible by law within four weeks from today and submit compliance report in the Registry of this Court. 4. Rule is made absolute on the terms indicated above. [S.S. SHINDE, J.] [A.M. KHANWILKAR, J.] asb/JAN10/wp7765.09