PURAN vs GRAM PANCHAYAT, FARIDABAD

The Supreme Court upheld the trial court's decree granting the appellants ownership of agricultural land under Section 5 of the Punjab Tenancy Act, 1887 and Section 3 of the Punjab Occupancy Tenants (Vesting of Proprietary Rights) Act, 1953, confirming that the appellants had acquired occupancy rights through long-term cultivation. The Court rejected the Gram Panchayat's claim of ownership under the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulations) Act, 1961, stating that the Panchayat could not assert rights over land cultivated by the appellants' forefathers for over a century. The appeal was allowed, affirming the appellants' rights to the land in question.