In Brief
The Supreme Court dismissed a State appeal challenging the High Court's decision in a dispute over consolidated village land. Under the 1948 Consolidation Act, proprietors contributed land for common village purposes, with unused surplus ("bachat land") to revert to them. A 1992 amendment to the 1961 Act purported to vest all such land with the Gram Panchayat. The Court upheld the High Court's judgment, applying the doctrine of stare decisis: over 100 prior High Court decisions consistently held that unused bachat land belongs to proprietors, not the State. This settled principle, lacking manifest error, injustice or mischief, must be followed for legal stability and predictability.
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