IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD (Special Original Jurisdiction) FRIDAY, THE NINETEENTH DAY OF JUNE TWO THOUSAND AND NINE PRESENT THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE GODA RAGHURAM WRIT PETITION NO : 22361 of 2007 Between: 1 Mohd. Abdul Hameed S/o. M.A. Raheem R/o.Jeedipalli Village. Toopran Mandal, Medak District. 2 Mohd. Abdul Nayeem S/o. M.A. Raheem R/o.Jeedipalli Village. Toopran Mandal, Medak District. 3 Smt. Puthli Bee W/o. M.A. Raheem R/o.Jeedipalli Village. Toopran Mandal, Medak District. 4 Mohd. Abdul Waheed S/o. M.A. Raheem R/o.Jeedipalli Village. Toopran Mandal, Medak District. ..... PETITIONER(S) AND 1 The District Revenue Officer, Medak at Sanga Reddy. 2 The Mandal Revenue Officer, Toopran, Medak District. .....RESPONDENT(S) 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 to issue an appropriate writ, order or direction more particularly a writ in the nature of writ of Mandamus declaring the action of the respondents in not changing the classification of the land from Khariz Khatha to patta land with respect to Ac 18-16 guntas of land in Sy.No. 122 of Jeedipalli Village, Troopran Mandal, Medak District as illegal, and consequently direct the respondents herein to change the classification of the land from Khariz Khatha to patta land and pass such other order or orders Counsel for the Petitioner:MR.A.RAVI SHANKAR Counsel for the Respondent No.: GP FOR REVENUE The Court made the following : ORAL ORDER: The petitioner submitted a representation dt. 15.10.2005 to the 1st respondent as a petition under Section 87 of the A.P. (T.A.) Land Revenue Act (for short ‘the Act’) 1317 F seeking alteration of the classification of land of an extent of Ac. 18.16 gts in S.No. 122 of Jeedipalli village, Troopran Mandal, Medak District from the present classification as ‘Khariz Khathaa’ to patta land. Aggrieved that his application under Section 87 of the Act has not been disposed though four years have passed since the application, the writ petition is filed. Though a counter affidavit is filed denying the petitioner’s entitlement to change of the classification of the land, curiously, the 1st respondent failed to pass an order on the petition for four years. Now at least the 1st respondent must realize that he should exercise his formal jurisdiction by passing an order and this cannot be abrogated by the device of filing a counter affidavit to the writ petition. The 1st respondent has now passed an order dt. 18.6.2009 after the 4th anniversary of the petition under Section 87 of the Act. Since the 1st respondent has at last woken up to the statutory obligation, though normally this court would be justified in passing strictures on the belated conduct of the 1st respondent no such condign action is proposed in the matter. The 1st respondent shall forthwith, at any rate within a period of three days from the date of receipt of this order, communicate the order dt. 18.6.2009 to the writ petitioner by registered post acknowledgement due. The writ petition is disposed of as above. On receipt of the order of the 1st respondent dt. 18.6.2009, the petitioner is at liberty to pursue appropriate remedies against the order. No order as to costs. ____________________ GODA RAGHURAM,J 19.6.2009. KRB. THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE GODA RAGHURAM WRIT PETITION NO. 22361 OF 2007 DATED: 19.6.2009.