In Brief
Vivek Hinduja and others purchased agricultural land originally granted to Scheduled Caste members under Karnataka's 1978 Act protecting such grants from transfer. After 20 years, authorities sought to annul the transfers and return the land to the original grantees' successors. The High Court allowed this, upholding the social welfare legislation. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that even without a statutory time limit, authorities must act within a reasonable time—20 years is excessive delay. An order cannot be declared void without court proceedings, and undue delay bars relief regardless of the transfer's technical validity."
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