In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of a civil appeal challenging the State of Gujarat's takeover of excess vacant land under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976. The appellant claimed possession was never taken due to a court order of status quo, but the Court found the status quo was not served on the competent authority and the underlying suit was collusive. Since possession was taken before the Act's repeal in 1999, and no exemption was granted before repeal, the appellant could not later claim exemption rights. The Court held that the saving provisions of the Repealing Act did not extend to pending exemption applications. The appeal was dismissed.
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