UNION OF INDIA vs JUBBI AND DUNIA, ETC.

The Supreme Court held that the Himachal Pradesh Abolition of Big Landed Estates and Land Reforms Act, 1953, applies equally to lands owned by the State as it does to those owned by private citizens, as there is no express or implied exclusion in the Act. The Court emphasized that the Act's objective is to abolish landlordism and provide benefits to occupancy tenants without discrimination based on land ownership. The application of the respondent under Section 11 for proprietary rights was upheld, affirming the Act's applicability to State-owned lands.