Case brief
What is this about?
Common judgment of the Orissa High Court, Cuttack (Justice Sashikanta Mishra, 07-04-2026) analogously disposing eight writ petitions — W.P.(C) Nos.1224, 1495, 1497, 1512, 1517, 1549, 1609 and 1814 of 2026 (Art. 226/227 applications) — filed by Ratna Manjari Prusty, Sarojini Nayak, Bidyutprava Satapathy, Deepak @ Diapk Kumar Samal, Pratap Chandra Das, Dillip Kumar Swain, Biswajit Panda and Sarat Kumar Mohanty against the Union of India & Others. Subject-matter: unilateral cancellation of private land recordings at Dhenkanal and restoration to Railway Khata No.112 through Mutation Appeal No.38/2025 (order dt. 19.11.2025, Sub-Collector), ROR correction in RMC Case No.695/2025 (order dt. 15.12.2025, Tahsildar), rejection of leave to prefer appeal in Revenue Misc. Appeal Case No.07/2025 (dt. 07.01.2026), and eviction notice dt. 26.12.2025. Searchable themes: natural justice violated by non-impleading/non-notification of recorded rightholders; alleged fraudulent Mutation Case No.1843/1998 and khata No.103/8 creation favouring Arun Shankar Ghosh; mutation record not traceable; typographical-error claim re 'Bhulekh' portal; appeal entertained after decades-long delay without condonation; disputed title questions beyond writ-court competence; Railway track-laying acquisition, public-welfare work and fund-surrender pressure weighed against private rights. Outcome: petitions allowed; impugned orders set aside; fresh hearing remitted to Sub-Collector, Dhenkanal with reasoned rights-determining order due in four weeks and interim status quo imposed. Relevant to research on mutation/ROR cancellation, khata merger into institutional khatas, revenue-side appeals (RMAC), leave-to-appeal rejections, and Arts. 226/227 property-rights litigation in Odisha.