In Brief
The Supreme Court examined a dispute over 53 acres of land in Telangana claimed by writ petitioners who based their title on an unregistered agreement of sale from 1982. The land had been statutorily vested in the State under agricultural land reform and land ceiling legislation. The Court held that registration of a document does not grant unimpeachable validity—the presumption is rebuttable. An unregistered agreement of sale cannot validly transfer immovable property, and interim court orders do not prove actual possession. Since statutory vesting vests absolute property rights in the State, and the writ petitioners failed to establish valid title or physical possession, they could not invoke extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226 to restrain the State. The Court restored the Single Judge's judgment dismissing the writ petition and directed the parties to pursue their claims through appropriate civil forums or statutory remedies.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.