Supreme Court of India · 1961-03-04
SONAPUR TEA CO., LTD. vs MUST. MAZIRUNNESSA
- Citation / case number
- SC 1960/59
- Court
- Supreme Court of India
- Petitioner
- SONAPUR TEA CO., LTD.
- Respondent
- MUST. MAZIRUNNESSA
- Bench
- GAJENDRAGADKAR, P.B.,SARKAR, A.K.,WANCHOO, K.N.,GUPTA, K.C. DAS,AYYANGAR, N. RAJAGOPALA
Judgment text excerpt
The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holding Act, 1957, stating that it is protected under Article 31A of the Constitution. The Court clarified that the term 'rights in relation to an estate' in Article 31A(2)(b) is broad and includes the rights of the appellants which were extinguished by the Act. The Court found that the Act is not a colorable legislation but a genuine agrarian reform measure aimed at equitable land distribution, thus rejecting claims that it was profit-driven.