IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD (Special Original Jurisdiction) THURSDAY, THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF APRIL TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT PRESENT THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO WRIT PETITION No : 8182 of 2008 Between: Smt. Vishnumolokala Varalakshmi, W/o. Sai Ram, R/o. Korrajulagutta, Bhadrachalam, Khammam District. ..... PETITIONER AND 1 The Agency Divisional Officer and Sub Collector, Bhadrachalam,Khammam District. 2 The Additional Agent to the Government, (Project Officer, ITDA), Bhadrachalam,Khammam District. 3 The Tahsildar, Mandal Revenue Office,Bhadrachala Mandal, Khammam District. .....RESPONDENTS Petition under Article 226 of the constitution of India praying that in the circumstances stated in the Affidavit filed herein the High Court will be pleased to issue a Writ, order or direction more in the nature of mandamus declaring the action of the Respondent No.2 in not disposing the Statutory Appeal filed by the Petitioner on 29.3.2008 as against the orders passed by the first respondent in L.T.R. Case No.24/BCM/2007, dated 5-1-2008 including the Stay petition and ejection from the residential house situated in Sy.No.63, to an extent of Acres 0-05 cents situated at Bhadrachalam, Khammam district as arbitrary, illegal and violative of Article 14,21 and 300(A) of the constitution of India and consequentially direct the Respondents not to interfere with the possession and enjoyment of the residential house till the disposal of the Statutory Appeal. Counsel for the Petitioner : Mr.P.V.Ramana Counsel for the Respondents : GP for Social Welfare The Court made the following O R D E R: Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Government Pleader for Social Welfare. The Agency Divisional Officer and Sub-Collector, Bhadrachalam passed orders in his proceedings in L.T.R.Case No.25/BCM/2007 against the writ petitioner herein on 05.01.2008 ordering her ejectment from out of the land of an extent of Ac.0.10 cents in Survey No. 20 of Bhadrachalam, Khammam District. It is not in dispute that against this order of the Agency Divisional Officer, an appeal is provided to the Additional Agent to the Government, Bhadrachalam, Khammam District under Section 8 of the Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation Act, 1959. The writ petitioner has asserted that such an appeal had been preferred on 29.03.2008 and along with the appeal, an interlocutory application was also moved seeking stay of the operation of the orders of the Agency Divisional Officer dated 15.01.2008, but the 2nd respondent did not choose to pass orders either in the stay petition or in the main appeal. Therefore, the present writ petition has been instituted. Once an appeal is preferred to the 2nd respondent, it is only expected that it will be attended to at the earliest convenient time. If the appeal itself cannot be decided, the interlocutory application moved by the parties seeking urgent interim orders could be attended to in the meantime. In these set of circumstances, I consider it appropriate to direct the 2nd respondent to entertain, hear and decide the appeal preferred against the orders of the Agency Divisional Officer, Bhadrachalam dated 05.01.2008 within six months from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. Till such time, the status quo existing as of now with regard to possession be maintained. It is, however, open to the 2nd respondent to independently consider the interlocutory application moved by the writ petitioner herein and decide the same even before it decides the appeal preferred to it. With this, the writ petition stands disposed of, but however, without costs. (NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO, J) 17th April 2008 ksld