VATTICHERUKURU VILLAGE PANCHAYAT AND ORS. vs NORI VEKATRAMA DEEKSHITHULU AND ORS.

The Supreme Court addressed the ownership and management of a public tank under the A.P. Gram Panchayat Act, 1964, specifically Sections 64 and 65, which vest property in the Gram Panchayat for the benefit of villagers. The Court held that the tank was a public trust, and the Gram Panchayat had rightful possession and management authority, overruling the lower court's finding of adverse possession by the respondents. The decision emphasized the finality of orders passed by revenue courts under the A.P. Inams (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1956, and clarified the jurisdictional limits of civil courts in such matters.