IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Civil Writ Petition No.9101 of 2011 Date of decision: 23.05.2011 Col.Manohar Lal Chopra …..Petitioner versus Union of India ……Respondent CORAM: Hon’ble Mr.Justice Jasbir Singh Hon’ble Mr.Justice Rakesh Kumar Garg Present: Mr.Amit Aggarwal, Advocate for the petitioner Jasbir Singh, J. (Oral) This writ petition has been filed seeking the following relief:- “(i) Whether the respondent is bound by its statutory duty to refer the matter of petitioner to the ld. District Judge Bathinda? (ii) Whether the act and conduct of the respondent not referring the land reference of the petitioner sustainable in the eyes of law? (iii) Whether the land reference filed by the petitioner should have been referred by the respondent with the other connected matters filed by the similarly situated persons under the same notification?” It is stated by the petitioner that his land was acquired way back, by issuing notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (in short, the Act), on 10.5.1991. An award was passed by the Land Civil Writ Petition No.9101 of 2011 Acquisition Collector on 27.8.1993. The petitioner filed an application under Section 18 of the Act on 15.2.1997. It is grievance of the petitioner that the said application has not been referred by the Land Acquisition Collector to the competent Court for adjudication. We feel that on account of delay, no direction can be issued in favour of the petitioner. An award was passed in the year 1993. As per provision of Section 18 of the Act, at the maximum, an application under that provision can be made within six months from the date of pronouncement of an Award. Application was made after more than three and half years. Be that as it may, after moving that application, no attempt was made to see as to what has happened to the same. Petitioner retired from service in the year 2002. To a specific question, counsel for the petitioner has failed to show us any correspondence/ application made by the petitioner during the last nine years, to agitate his right. This writ petition has been filed after about 13 years of filing the application under Section 18 of the Act. Dismissed on account of delay, for which no explanation has been given. (Jasbir Singh) Judge 23.05.2011 (Rakesh Kumar Garg) gk Judge 2