In Brief
In 1900, Lancelot Ricketts sold property known as "Beaulieu" estate in Bengaluru to the Dewan of Mysore, acting on behalf of the First Princess, with funds from her personal account. Over 100 years later, in 2004, a government official alleged the deed was fraudulent and initiated summary proceedings under Section 67 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act seeking to reclaim the land. The Court held that such proceedings were without jurisdiction as they concerned a disputed title between the State and individuals, not public lands. Finding the claim time-barred, unsupported by credible evidence of fraud, and contradicted by the State's own prior acquisitions from the same estate, the Court quashed the proceedings and upheld the appellants' ownership.
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