ASHWANI KUMAR MISHRA,J. - (1.) Petitioner is permitted to implead State of Uttar Pradesh through its Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, U.P. at Lucknow as well as Chairman of the Board of Revenue, U.P. at Allahabad as respondent nos.4 and 5 respectively, and notices on behalf of said respondent is also accepted by learned Standing Counsel.
(2.) Twenty eight writ petitions filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India have been assigned by Hon'ble The Chief Justice to be heard by this Court. Eighteen out of these twenty eight petitions i.e. Writ Petition Nos.6407 of 2020, 6419 of 2020, 6453 of 2020, 6461 of 2020, 6462 of 2020, 6435 of 2020, 6448 of 2020, 6472 of 2020, 6473 of 2020, 6474 of 2020, 6478 of 2020, 6483 of 2020, 6491 of 2020, 6495 of 2020, 6501 of 2020, 6513 of 2020, 6519 of 2020 and 6525 of 2020, raise a common grievance that proceedings before the revenue courts/authorities under the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 (hereinafter referred to as ''Act of 1950'), U.P. Land Revenue Act, 1901 (hereinafter referred to as ''Act of 1901') and U.P. Revenue Code, 2006 (hereinafter referred to as ''Code of 2006') are being kept pending for unduly long (even decades in some cases) causing innumerable difficulties for the petitioners. Prayer is, consequently, made to command the authorities concerned to expedite the proceedings. Writ Petition No.6407 of 2020 is taken as the leading case and all other petitions have been connected to it.
(3.) State of Uttar Pradesh has a substantial agrarian economy and majority of its citizens live in villages. Agricultural land is, therefore, of utmost importance to the citizenry living in the villages. Issues and disputes relating to agricultural lands like mutation, demarcation, partition, removal of encroachment, title disputes etc. are to be dealt with by the revenue courts/authorities. The fact that such large number of writs are being filed only with the prayer to expedite proceedings pending before revenue authorities/courts is a matter of serious concern. Apart from creating discord amongst otherwise closely knit social set up it is one of the primary cause for commission of crimes/offences in villages. It is, therefore, necessary for this Court to examine the concern in wider perspective and issue necessary directions in that regard.;