In Brief
A village panchayat challenged a municipal corporation's assertion that certain lands fell within its limits, seeking a court declaration that the lands remained under the panchayat's control. The Supreme Court held that fixing municipal boundaries is a legislative function governed by state law, not a matter civil courts can decide through ordinary suits. Since the corporation acted as a planning authority under urban planning law, jurisdiction was also expressly barred. The Court dismissed the panchayat's suit, finding that even if factual disputes existed, the essential nature of the dispute involved validity of statutory determinations on public law matters, which civil courts cannot adjudicate. The decades-old administrative arrangements could not be challenged belatedly.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.