DUNICHAND HAKIM AND OTHERS vs DEPUTY COMMISSIONER (DEPUTY CUSTODIAN EVACUEE PROPERTY

The Supreme Court ruled that the Deputy Custodian of Evacuee Property has the authority to cancel land allotments under both the East Punjab Evacuees’ (Administration of Property) Act, 1947 and the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950, specifically citing Sections 2(a), 12(1), and 56(2). The Court held that while notice for cancellation was not provided as per the rules under Section 56, the petitioners were nonetheless given adequate opportunity to present their case before the cancellation of their allotments. The petition under Article 32 was dismissed, affirming the validity of the cancellation orders.