In Brief
A decree holder purchased land at a court-ordered auction sale following land acquisition proceedings. After a protracted dispute, the Tehsildar sought police assistance (suo moto) to deliver possession to the decree holder without obtaining explicit court orders for such assistance. The High Court held the possession delivery vitiated due to the absence of court authorization for police help and ordered redelivery to the judgment debtor. The Supreme Court acknowledged the procedural irregularity was unjustified but found the judgment debtor had exhausted all legal challenges and retained no rights in the acquired land. The Court upheld the delivery of possession in exercise of discretion but warned that future unauthorized police assistance would be at the authorities' own risk.
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