IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD FRIDAY, THE SIXTEENTH DAY OF JULY TWO THOUSAND AND TEN PRESENT THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE V.ESWARAIAH CIVIL REVISION PETITION No.2956 of 2010 Between: The District Collector-cum-Land Acquisition Officer, B.Palem ..... PETITIONER AND D.Nagamma and 3 others .....RESPONDENTS The Court made the following: THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE V.ESWARAIAH CIVIL REVISION PETITION No.2956 of 2010 ORDER: The petitioner is the Land Acquisition Officer. Admittedly, he made a reference under 31(2) of the Land Acquisition Act in Rc.No.A4/3458/80 dated 26.08.1981 to resolve the dispute with regard to the entitlement of the compensation amount of Rs.17,365/- by the respective claimants under Award No.11/1981 dated 26.08.1981, but he has not deposited the awarded amount in the Civil Court. As the said amount was not deposited, the claimants filed I.A.101/2006 in LAOP.29/2003 on the file of the Principal Senior Civil Judge, Chittoor seeking direction to the petitioner herein to deposit the said amount as per the award proceedings. The said I.A.was resisted by the Land Acquisition Officer stating that a civil suit was filed by the 4th respondent herein in O.A.37/1982 claiming title over the acquired land and the said suit was dismissed as not pressed. As there was no claim, one of the claimants of the original pattadar of the land acquired namely C.Narayanaswamynaidu, 3rd respondent herein claimed compensation of the land, and after verification of the records, compensation payable to the said land was paid to the 3rd respondent and his son on a condition that they will refund the amount if they found ineligible. Thus, it is stated that proceedings have been initiated against the then Land Acquisition Officer for recovery of the said amount. The Court below having considered the facts and circumstances of the case, allowed the I.A.101/2006. I am of the opinion that for the lapses committed by the Land Acquisition Officer the claimants cannot be suffered. It is mandatory on the part of the Land Acquisition Officer to deposit the compensation amount before the Civil Court having referred the matter for settlement of the claims of the respective parties. There is no justification on the part of the Land Acquisition Officer in filing this civil revision petition aggrieved by the impugned order of the Court below. The Civil Revision Petition is without any merits and is accordingly dismissed. No order as to costs. ___________________ V.ESWARAIAH,J Dated: 16.07.2010 Dsr