Tripura High Court has directed the West Tripura District Magistrate and Collector to decide a land revenue case pending since 2022 within four months. The order came on a writ petition seeking time-bound disposal of proceedings under the TLR and LR Act.
The Tripura High Court has directed the District Magistrate and Collector of West Tripura to dispose of a pending land revenue case within four months, bringing a time-bound deadline to proceedings that have remained unresolved since 2022.
The direction was issued by a single bench of Justice Dr. T. Amarnath Goud while disposing of a writ petition filed by Subrata Debnath and nine other petitioners. They had approached the High Court seeking an early decision in Revenue Case No. 803 of 2022, filed under Section 95 of the Tripura Land Revenue and Land Reforms (TLR and LR) Act, 1960.
The petitioners sought the court’s intervention to ensure that the revenue proceedings were concluded without further delay. According to the case details, the matter had remained pending before the District Magistrate and Collector since 2022, despite earlier administrative steps taken to advance the proceedings.
The High Court noted that an earlier order had called for an inquiry report from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Jirania. However, the proceedings had not reached a final decision.
“The application under Section 95 of the TLR & LR Act is pending before the respondent-DM & Collector since 2022,” the court observed while examining the status of the matter.
The bench further noted that although steps had been taken to obtain a report from the concerned office, no effective progress had been made towards deciding and disposing of the case.
Taking note of the prolonged pendency, the court directed the West Tripura District Magistrate and Collector to decide the application submitted by the petitioners within four months from the date of the order.
“However, without entering into the merits of the case, this Court directs the respondent-DM & Collector to decide the application filed by the petitioners under Section 95 of the TLR & LR Act within a period of 4 (four) months from today,” the order stated.
The High Court clarified that it was not examining the substantive merits of the underlying land revenue dispute. Instead, its direction focused on ensuring that the competent authority takes a decision within the prescribed timeframe.
The bench also expressed confidence that the concerned authorities would comply with the deadline. It observed that it “hopes and trusts that the respondents shall definitely dispose of the same within the time frame”.
The case concerns proceedings under Section 95 of the Tripura Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960, which provides the legal framework relevant to the petitioners’ application. The High Court’s order places responsibility on the district administration to complete the pending decision-making process within four months.
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The ruling underscores the importance of timely administrative decisions in revenue matters and provides a clear deadline for resolving the petitioners’ long-pending application. The final outcome of the underlying dispute will depend on the decision taken by the West Tripura District Magistrate and Collector in accordance with the applicable law.
The court’s direction does not determine the merits of the land dispute but requires the competent authority to bring the proceedings to a decision within the stipulated period.
