RIJU PRASAD SARMA Vs. STATE OF ASSAM

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The Civil Appeals arise out of three writ petitions, two of the year 2000 and one of the year 2002 which were heard together and disposed of by a learned Single Judge of Guwahati High Court by a common judgment and order dated 06.08.2004. That judgment was challenged before the Division Bench through two writ appeals bearing W.A.Nos.311 and 312 of 2004 preferred by the appellants who confined the scope of the appeals only to the width and scope of Section 25A of the Assam State Acquisition of Lands Belonging to Religious or Charitable Institutions of Public Nature Act, 1959 (for brevity referred to as 'the Act'). Admittedly neither the State Government nor the private respondents preferred any cross appeal. However, there was a fresh writ petition filed directly before the Division Bench bearing Writ Petition No.923/2005 preferred in the name of The Deity, Sri Sri Ma Kamakhya claimed to be represented by appellant Riju Prasad Sarma who further described himself as the Administrator, Kamakhya Debutter. The said writ petition sought to challenge the constitutional validity of Section 25A of the Act. The writ appeals and the Writ Petition No.923 of 2005 were finally disposed of by a common judgment and order of the Division Bench of Guwahati High Court dated 25.10.2011 which is under challenge in the principal matter Civil Appeal Nos.3276-3278 of 2013 filed by Sri Riju Prasad Sarma & Ors. claiming to represent The Kamakhya Debutter Board.

(2.) Along with the Civil Appeals three writ petitions bearing No.72, 91 and 140 of 2012 have also been heard together as connected matters because they either throw a challenge to the validity of the Section 25A of the Act or the Rules framed thereunder or to the actual election of Dolois held on 16.11.2011 on account of this Court not staying the direction of the Division Bench to hold such election governed by custom. The same dispute covered by the Civil Appeals noticed above is sought to be raised again through S.L.P.(C) Nos.18070-18072 of 2015 [CC 8089-8091/2012] which have been filed along with an application for permission to prefer the special leave petitions by those who were not parties earlier, Hiten Sarma and some others, against the same very common judgment of the Division Bench dated 25.10.2011. This judgment shall govern all the matters noticed above. For the sake of convenience the facts have been noted from the records of civil appeals except where indicated otherwise.

(3.) It is necessary to have a look at the nature of the three writ petitions decided by the learned single judge. But before that it will be useful to notice the background facts which led to those writ petitions. The appellants have, in one of their written submissions, furnished the introduction, it reads as follows:-