HAJURI P.C.KHUNTIA vs BRUNDABAN R. DAS

The Supreme Court addressed the interpretation of the Orissa Estates Abolition Act, 1951, specifically sections 2(hh), 2(i), 6, and 7. The Court held that the tenant's possession of the land constituted possession by the ex-intermediary for the purposes of settlement under section 6, despite the ex-intermediary not being in physical possession at the time of vesting. The Court overturned the High Court's decision, affirming that the tenant's occupancy rights did not negate the ex-intermediary's entitlement to settlement under the Act.