The first respondent herein issued a notification under Section 4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (‘the Act’, for brevity), proposing to acquire the land in new town survey No.568/2 (Revenue Ward No.5, Block No.7), admeasuring 6261.06 square yards, belonging to the petitioners for a public purpose to wit for construction of citizen service center. The petitioners filed a writ petition, being W.P.No.26071 of 2005, seeking a writ of Mandamus declaring the said notification under Section 4(1) of the Act, as arbitrary and illegal. This Court disposed of the writ petition by an order, dated 30-12-2005, directing the Land Acquisition Officer to conduct enquiry under Section 5-A of the Act. Thereafter, the petitioners submitted their objections on 28-01-2006 raising various grounds. While the enquiry before the second respondent was pending, the petitioners submitted a letter through their counsel on 13-02-2006 requesting the second respondent to furnish copies of as many as ten documents and details of payments by the requisitioning department. They contend that they would require the said documents to substantiate their contentions objecting the land acquisition. By impugned letter, dated 18-02-2006, the second respondent while rejecting the request to furnish copies of the documents, informed the learned counsel for the petitioners to peruse the documents on 25-02-2006, which are kept available in the office of the second respondent.
