REVENUE OFFICER & ORS. vs PRAFULLA KUMAR PATI & ORS.

The Supreme Court held that the caste 'Rajaka' is synonymous with 'Dhoba' as per the Purna Chandra Oriya Bhasakosh, thus establishing that the transferors, despite being described as 'Rajaka', belong to a Scheduled Caste under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950. The Court ruled that the sale of land by Scheduled Caste individuals to non-Scheduled Caste individuals without the requisite permission from the Revenue Officer is invalid under Section 22 of the Orissa Land Reforms Act, 1960. Consequently, the appeals were allowed, restoring the land to the Scheduled Caste transferors.