State Of Orissa vs Lochan Nayak (Dead) By Lrs

The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred in entertaining writ petitions filed by the respondents after an inordinate delay of six years, which constituted laches. The Court emphasized that the power of suo motu revision under Rule 38-A (10)(bb) of the Orissa Land Reforms (General) Rules, 1965 must be exercised within a reasonable time. Consequently, the Court set aside the High Court's judgments and allowed the appeals, directing the Revenue Officer to initiate de-novo proceedings for land allotment in accordance with law.