In Brief
Gulf Oil Corporation Limited and Sri Udasin Mutt appealed against a High Court order evicting the lessee from 540 acres of inam land leased to them, on grounds that the leases were statutorily cancelled under Section 82(1) of the Telangana Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987 because the land was agricultural. The Supreme Court held that Section 82 automatically cancels leases of agricultural land held by non-poor persons, regardless of the use the lessee makes of the land. The nature of the land is determinative, not its use. The lessee proceeded to trial knowing the Mutt asserted the land was agricultural and sought cancellation; accordingly, no violation of natural justice occurred. The Court dismissed the appeals of the lessee but allowed the Mutt's appeal, setting aside directions to grant a new lease under non-agricultural land rules.
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