In Brief
The appellants sought ryotwari pattas (ownership deeds) for land in Survey No. 234, Tiruchanur village, relying on documents from 1940 and pattas allegedly issued in 1980. The State challenged these as invalid and proved that the entire 113.67 acres was classified as Peddacheruvu Tank (a water body) under the Andhra Pradesh Inams Act, 1956. Tank beds are communal, inalienable government land under Section 2-A of that Act. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's rejection, finding the land inalienable as a water body, the pattas procedurally defective, and the appellants' failure to challenge the 1984 gazette notification fatal to their claim.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.