The Andhra Pradesh High Court has quashed a 2017 order of the Joint Collector, Anantapuramu, holding that revenue authorities acted without jurisdiction by reopening settled land records after several decades. The court ruled that such belated claims disturb long-standing rights and must be resolved only by a civil court.
The judgment was delivered by Justice R. Raghunandan Rao on January 2, 2026, in a writ petition concerning agricultural land in Singanamala Mandal of Anantapuramu district.
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Background of the Case
The dispute revolved around land measuring about 43.20 acres in Survey No. 164-6 of Julakaluva village. The original petitioners claimed ownership through registered sale deeds executed between 1939 and 1951 in favour of their father. Over time, portions were sold, and the remaining land continued in the family’s possession.
Revenue records reflected their names as pattadars, and pattadar passbooks and title deeds were issued in 1988. A family partition in 1972 further divided the land among the petitioners, with separate extents recorded in their names.
The controversy surfaced in 2014, when a private respondent approached the Tahsildar seeking issuance of pattadar passbooks for a portion of the same survey number, citing a recent family partition. Revenue authorities initially rejected the request, noting that the land already stood in the names of existing pattadars.
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After rejection by the Tahsildar and dismissal of an appeal by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), the private respondent moved a revision before the Joint Collector. The RDO had earlier observed that the dispute involved complicated questions of title and was fit for adjudication by a civil court.
However, relying on an internal report, the Joint Collector in September 2017 set aside the RDO’s order and directed verification of sale deeds, paving the way for changes in web land records. This prompted the affected landholders to approach the High Court.
Court’s Observations
The High Court took strong exception to the reopening of settled land records after an extraordinary delay. The bench noted that the claim before revenue authorities was raised after 71 years, or at the very least 26 years after issuance of pattadar passbooks.
“The revenue authorities cannot unsettle settled rights after such an inordinate lapse of time,” the court observed, emphasizing that even when no specific limitation period is prescribed, powers must be exercised within a reasonable time.
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The court also relied on earlier rulings holding that long-standing revenue entries carry evidentiary value and should not be disturbed lightly. It reiterated that when disputes involve serious questions of title, revenue officials cannot assume the role of a civil court.
Referring to the Andhra Pradesh Rights in Land and Pattadar Pass Books Act, the bench underlined that persons aggrieved by existing entries must seek a declaration from a civil court, not bypass it through revenue proceedings.
Final Decision
Allowing the writ petition, the High Court set aside the Joint Collector’s order dated September 19, 2017, holding it to be arbitrary and without jurisdiction. The court ruled that the revenue authorities erred in entertaining and acting upon a claim raised after decades and contrary to settled legal principles.
No order as to costs was passed, and all pending applications were closed.
Case Title: T. Bali Reddy (Died) vs State of Andhra Pradesh & Others
Case No.: Writ Petition No. 34878 of 2017
Case Type: Writ Petition (Land & Revenue Matter)
Decision Date: 02 January 2026
