In Brief
This case concerns the validity of a State Government's withdrawal notification for acquired land (Survey No. 50). Land was acquired in 1977–1978 for the Bangalore Development Authority's BTM layout scheme. Despite earlier writ petitions by land owners seeking withdrawal being dismissed, they approached the Government in 2001, which issued a withdrawal notification. The Government later cancelled this after realizing possession had been taken in 1984. The High Court quashed the cancellation, but the Supreme Court reversed this, holding that once possession was validly taken and handed over to BDA, withdrawal could not occur. Earlier High Court findings on possession operate as res judicata and cannot be reopened. The Court allowed the Government's appeals and dismissed the writ petition.
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