RAJA SHANTRUNJI vs MOAZMAT AZMAT AZIM KHAN & ORS

The Supreme Court held that the amendment to Section 4 of the U.P. Zamindars' Debt Reduction Act, 1952, is applicable retroactively, allowing the respondents to invoke it as the mortgaged property was acquired under the Abolition Act. The Court clarified that the High Court erred in not applying the law as it stood at the time of the decree, which constituted an error on the face of the record. Consequently, the High Court's decision to set aside the Special Judge's order was upheld, allowing the application for debt reduction to proceed.