Aftab Alam, J. - (1.) Leave granted.
(2.) On the writ petitions filed by the UP State Industrial Development Corporation (respondent No. 1) the Allahabad High Court set aside the auction sale of two pieces of land made in favour of the appellants. The High Court held that the auction sale of the two plots was a nullity because in violation of Rule 285-D of the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms (UPZALR) Rules, 1952 the appellants did not deposit one fourth of their bid amounts immediately on the conclusion of the auction, but deposited the requisite amounts on the following day. Having thus held the auction sale legally untenable, the High Court did not advert to the other circumstances and the manner in which the auction sale was held.
(3.) The appellants came to this Court taking the plea that they had deposited one fourth of their bid amounts on the day the auction was held and the decision of the High Court was based on a patent error of law. Even while challenging the judgment of the High Court, the appellants were anxious to not enlarge the issues and to confine the case to the very limited question whether or not the requisite amounts in terms of Rule 285-D were deposited on the date of the auction. But, earlier in course of hearing of the case, we came across certain disturbing features that compelled us to ask the State Government to bring on record all the relevant materials concerning the auction sale of the two pieces of land in question. And now, the more we examine the facts of the case the more we feel dismayed and distressed. It is plainly a case of appropriation of large areas of public/government land by some very unscrupulous people both outside and inside the State Government acting in cahoots. And we have reasons to fear that this is not an isolated case.;