DEVAPPA Vs. NARAYANA RAO

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE questions arising for consideration in these revision petitions are identical and therefore these revisions are disposed of by a common order.

(2.) AGGRIEVED by the order of the Land Tribunal dismissing the applications under S. 72b the petitioners filed appeals before the Appellate authority. As the appeals were filed out of time, the petitioners were obliged to file petitions to condone the delay in filing the appals. One of the petitions to condone the delay was allowed on 27-10-1978. The other petitions were allowed later.

(3.) I shall now consider the relevant provisions of the k. L. R. Act. The Appellate Authority is constituted under S. 99a. Sub-section 1 of this Section provides: (1) the Government may, by notification in the gazette, constitute as many Appellate Authorities as may be necessary for the purpose of this Act. (2) The Appellate Authority shall consist of a sole member who shall be a judicial officer not below the rank of a Subordinate Judge. The appellate Authority thus constituted is a quasi judicial authority. It is this appellate Authority which is to hear the appeals filed under S. 102 K. L. R. Act. Sub-section 2 of S. 102 confers power on the Appellate Authority to entertain an appeal filed beyond time provided the appellant satisfactorily explains the delay in filing the appeal.