WP(C) 6820/2002 BEFORE THE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE RANJAN GOGOI Heard Mrs. B. Goyal, learned counsel for the petitioners and Mr. P. S. Deka, lea rned Govt. Advocate, Assam. This writ petition has been filed against an order dated 11.2.99 passed by the l earned Sessions Judge, Dhubri, in three separate appeals filed by the petitioner s under Regulation 49(c) of the Assam Forest Regulation. The said appeals were f iled against orders of the Authorised Officer under the Regulation confiscating the vehicles of the petitioners in connection with certain forest offences. The order of confiscation was passed under Regulation 49 of the Forest Regulation. Under Regulation 52 of the Forest Regulation the vehicles of the petitioners, if found to be involved in forest offences, is to be dealt with in the manner indi cated by the aforesaid section at the conclusion of the trial for the forest off ences allegedly committed. In the present case what has happened to the cases in stituted against the petitioners for commission of forest offences is not known to the learned counsel for the petitioner or to the learned Govt. Advocate, Assa m. The confiscation of the vehicles had occurred in the year 1997. While the positi on with regard to custody of the vehicles during the pendency of the proceedings before the learned Sessions Judge is not known, by an interim order of this Cou rt dated 3.11.2003 such custody was granted to the petitioners subject to the co nditions mentioned in the said order. The Court, therefore, can reasonably proce ed on the basis that from the year 2003 the petitioners have been in custody of the vehicles. Keeping in view the long period of possession of the vehicles by the petitioners and the provision of Regulation 52 of the Regulation the Court is of the view t hat this writ petition should be disposed of by directing continuance of the pos session/custody of the vehicles by the petitioners subject to the provisions of Regulation 52 if the trial of the cases for commission of forest offences by the petitioners have not been completed till date. This will dispose of the writ petition.