IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD (Special Original Jurisdiction) WEDNESDAY, THE TWENTY SIXTH DAY OF MARCH TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT PRESENT THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO WRIT PETITION No : 6317 of 2008 Between: 1 Gujjari Ramanamma W/o.Late Appa Rao R/o.Plot No.1,. Block No.G Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 2 Gujjari Diva Prasad W/o.Late Appa Rao R/o.Plot No.1,. Block No.G Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 3 Gujjari Ramu W/o.Late Appa Rao R/o.Plot No.1,. Block No.G Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 4 Gujjari Arun Kumar S/o.Late Appa Rao R/o.Plot No.1,. Block No.G Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 5 Battina Bangaramma W/o.Late Appa Rao R/o.Plot No.1,. Block No.G Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 6 Bathina Durgamma W/o.Late Yellayya R/o.D.No.59-2-6 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 7 Volli Aruna W/o.Nooka Raju R/o.D.No.59-11-62 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 8 Pisini Koti W/o.Vykuntam R/o.D.No.59-11-62 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 9 Kadavala Appayyamma W/o.Appanna (Late) R/o.D.No.59-11-61 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 10 Bathina Eswaramma W/o.Appalaraju R/o.D.No.59-13-4 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 11 Bathina Appalanarasamma W/o.Late Pothuraju R/o.D.No.59-13-4 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 12 K.Srinivas S/o.K.Jagannath RAo (Late) R/o.D.No.59-14-4 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 13 Kasarapu Pydi Ratnam W/o.Naga Raju R/o.D.No.59-14-4 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 14 Kasarapu Yerrayyamma W/o.Suryanarayana R/o.D.No.59-14-4 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 15 Kasarapu Satyanarayana S/o.K.Sattibabu R/o.D.No.59-6-1/A Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 16 Modu Bhoolakshmi W/o.Late Nooka Raju R/o.D.No.59-17-4 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 17 Pilla Prabhavathi W/o.Late P.Raja Patrudu R/o.D.No.59-15-28 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 18 Pilla Venkata Lakshmi Raja Narasimha Patrudu W/o.Late P.Raja Patrudu R/o.D.No.59-15-28 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 19 Pilla Suryanarayana Patrudu W/o.Late P.Raja Patrudu R/o.D.No.59-15-28 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 20 Pilla Chalapathi Rao W/o.Late P.Raja Patrudu R/o.D.No.59-15-28 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 21 Pilla Jai Shankar S/o.Late P.Raja Patrudu R/o.D.No.59-15-28 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 22 Pilla Mohan Rao S/o.Late P.Raja Patrudu R/o.D.No.59-15-28 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 23 Nagala Appalanarasamma W/o.Appa Rao R/o.D.No.59-11-2 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 24 Nagala Mallayya S/o.Durgalu R/o.D.No.59-11-2 Malkapuram Visakhapatnam-530011 ..... PETITIONERS AND The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation rep.by its Commissioner, Visakhapatnam Post & District .....RESPONDENT 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 issue a writ order or direction in the nature of mandamus declaring the high handed action of the respondent herein and his men in trying to demolish the residential houses of the petitioners bearing Door Nos.Plot No.1 Block No.G Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam , Door No.59-2-6, Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam , Door No.59-11-62, Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam, Door No.59-12-61, Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam, Door No.59-13-4, Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam , Door No.59-14-4, Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam, Door No.59-16-1/A, Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam, Door No.59-17-4, Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam, Door No.59-15-28, Venkannapalem, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam, and Door No.59-11-2, Venkannapalem Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam-530011 without following the due process of law by issuing any notice nor acquiring the said houses under Land Acquisition Act nor the procedue as contemplated under the Municipal Corporation Act, of 1966. Counsel for the Petitioner : Sri E.V. Bhagiratha Rao Counsel for the Respondent : Sri N. Ranga Reddy The Court made the following O R D E R: In this[aphc1] case, the grievance of the petitioners is that the respondent-Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has been seeking to acquire their residential houses[aphc2] for the purpose of widening the road existing, without invoking the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and that the respondent-Corporation has been offering meager amounts as compensation for the houses sought to be taken possession of by them. It is further asserted that the value offered by the Corporation is, in fact, less than the value prevailing for the houses as also the value fixed by the revenue establishment of the State Government and, hence, the petitioners are not interested in agreeing to receive the compensation offered by the respondent- Corporation and deliver possession of the houses. It is needless to observe that the Municipal Corporation cannot take possession of the property owned by the citizens without recourse to law. The respondents are, therefore, directed to follow the procedure laid down in the Land Acquisition Act and acquire the houses in question and without adopting such a procedure, it should not insist upon the petitioners to part with the possession of the houses. With this, the writ petition stands disposed of, but however, without costs. (NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO, J) 26th March 2008 ksld ..... REGISTRAR // TRUE COPY // SECTION OFFICER To 1.2CCs to 2.2CD copies Form-NIC-OGS/WP{TRK} [aphc1] [aphc2]