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K.L.R. 1992 Revenue Cases 47

GUL JEHAN And Another vs THE STATE

CitationK.L.R. 1992 Revenue Cases 47
CourtBoard of Revenue, Punjab
Case No.Review Petition No.218/1989
Date1990-01-01
Judge(s)Akhtar Said
ResultPetition accepted

ORDER

AKHTAR SAID, MEMBER.- This is an application for review of a decision of the learned Member, Board of Revenue, Punjab. In the order, the learned Member accepted the revision petition of Zaffar Hussain etc. And set aside the order of the Additional Commissioner (Rev) Sargodha, dated 15.1.1989.

2. The review application urges two sets of grounds, namely: i) The legal ground that the area allotted falls within prohibited zone and could in no case be allotted to the petitioners in the revision petition; and ii) the factual ground that certain documents which tend to weaken the case of the allottee were not available too at that time, like the schedule etc. Taking the second point first, it is not tenable in review to urge that certain documents which were public and were vital to the case were not available. It was the duty of the party relying on those public documents to procure them in the long litigation with the Board of Revenue. Alternatively the help of the Court could have been obtained. The jurisdiction in review should be exercised very carefully, and if non-availability of public documents is taken and accepted as a ground, it would jeopardize die very purpose for which review jurisdiction has been restricted by the legislature.

As regards the legal point that the land falls within prohibited zone and has been wrongly conferred the instructions of the Board of Revenue the learned Member, Board of Revenue has taken as explicit stand on this issue. The conclusion of the learned Member, Board of Revenue is that regardless of whether or not the land falls in dm prohibited zone, the allottee wa* entitled to him and functionaries of the. State. The decision is that whenever there is absence of fraud the allottee cannot be made to suffer because Us allotment falls in an area which is not to be allotted under an __________________ ... Enforceable Government instruction. This is an interpretation of die law relating to prohibited zone. Now the question is whether review jurisdiction is available to go into this interpretation, even if wrong. I have no hesitation in coming to one conclusion that a Reviewing Court, not being an Appellate Court, does not have the powers to teach law to a Court of equal jurisdiction. If a contrary view were taken the Board of Revenue under review jurisdiction would immediately turn itself into a High Court, which alone has the authority and jurisdiction to open questions erf law i.e. Questions whether law has been wrongly applied. Therefore, the present Court should be very chary of assuming jurisdiction which belongs to Constitutional Courts. In my view if a legal point has been wrongly adjudicated the power of review is not available. Therefore, without going into the merits of the case, I find unable to entertain this review application, which is, therefore, rejected.

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