THE HON’BLE MR JUSTICE L. NARASIMHA REDDY Writ Petition No.26727 of 2006 ORDER: The husband of the petitioner, by name, J.V.Narasimha Rao, was a Freedom Fighter. Apart from extending other benefits to him, the Government assigned an extent of Ac.15.00 cents of land in Sy.No.79/1 of Mallepalli - Chintagurthi Village, Khammam District, vide proceedings dated 26-07-1971. It is stated that after a prolonged legal battle, the possession of 10 acres was delivered. The petitioner states that she incurred huge expenditure and raised loans for her treatment etc., and for that purpose, she intended to sell or mortgage the land. The Sub-Registrar, Khammam, the 3rd respondent, is said to have informed the petitioner, that the transactions in respect of the land cannot be registered, since it is covered by the provisions of the A.P. Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) Act, 1977 (for short ‘the Act’). The petitioner submits that the provisions of the Act do not apply to them, and, at any rate, in view of the orders in G.O.Ms.No.1117, dated 13-09-1980, it becomes tenable for freedom fighters to sell the land on expiry of 10 years from the date of assignment. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Government Pleader for Assignments. Though the Government assigned land in Sy.No.79/1, in favour of the husband of the petitioner, on 26-07-1971, the possession of the land was not delivered to the husband of the petitioner during his lifetime. It was only after prolonged pursuit of the matter, that an extent of 10 acres of land in different survey number, i.e. 266/1/A, was delivered to the petitioner, that too, in the year 2006. It is no doubt true that the Government permitted transfer of lands assigned in favour of freedom fighters on expiry of 10 years after the assignment. The dispute in this writ petition is, as to the date from which, the period of 10 years is to be calculated. If the assignment was complete and perfect on 26-07-1971, there was no necessity for the petitioner to pursue the matter further. For all practical purposes, the assignment made on 26-07-1971 was futile, and nothing ensued out of it. Further, the land that was handed over to the petitioner is not the one, mentioned in the proceedings dated 26-07-1971. Therefore, the actual assignment can be said to have taken place in favour of the petitioner only in the year 2006, when 10 acres of land in Sy.No.266/1/A was delivered to her. Obviously, the period of 10 years needs to be reckoned from that date. In that view of the matter, no exception can be taken to the action of the 3rd respondent in refusing to register the transactions, vis- à-vis the land. The petitioner can renew her request after completion of 10 years, from the date on which, the possession was delivered to her. The writ petition is accordingly disposed of. There shall be no order as to costs. ________________________ Dt.02-03-2009. L. NARASIMHA REDDY, J. KO