Smitha Devaiah B v. Deputy Commissioner
Case brief
What is this about?
Keywords: sagu bane; redeemed sagu bane; jama bane; seigniorage; tree cutting/felling permission; standing trees; Karnataka Land Revenue Act amendment; Article 226; writ of certiorari; writ of mandamus; Deputy Commissioner Kodagu; Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Virajpet; Tree Officer; Tahsildar report; Assistant Commissioner report; RTC tenure entries; DC Jamabandi; Survey Nos. 78, 79/1, 79/3, 80/1, 80/2; Badaga Banangala Village; Ammathi Hobli; Virajpet Taluk. Substance: Karnataka High Court (Suraj Govindaraj J., 30.06.2026, WP 19141/2026) held that ownership of sagu bane land vests with the person entered in revenue records irrespective of whether an order of redemption is produced, redemption documentation being relevant only to revenue payable; quashed the order/endorsement denying tree rights on sagu bane land; directed respondents to consider the petitioners' tree-cutting application within three months subject to Forest Department permissions.