In Brief
The State of Uttar Pradesh sought to overturn a High Court order allowing a writ petition by respondents claiming possession of surplus land declared under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976. The Supreme Court held that the expression "possession" in the 1999 Repeal Act refers to statutory vesting and taking possession by competent authority, not merely physical occupation. Since land was vested with the State and possession taken in 1994, well before the Repeal Act, respondents had no entitlement to relief. The Court allowed the appeal and dismissed the writ petition.
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