K.C. Gajapati Narayan Deo znd Oth Va.
The State of Orissa [1953] INSC 49 (29 May 1953)
MUKHERJEA, B.K.
BHAGWATI, NATWARLAL H.
SASTRI, M. PATANJALI (CJ) DAS, SUDHI RANJAN
HASAN, GHULAM
CITATION: 1953 AIR 375 1954 SCR 1
CITATOR INFO :
F 1954 SC 139 (6A) RF 1954 SC 257 (7) C 1954
SC 259 (7) F 1956 SC 503 (21) RF 1959 SC 308 (7) F 1959 SC 648 (14) APL 1960 SC
796 (3,6) RF 1961 SC 459 (50) R 1962 SC 137 (9) R 1962 SC 458 (27) R 1962 SC
594 (14) R 1962 SC 723 (4) R 1962 SC 821 (16) R 1962 SC1912 (2,5) R 1964 SC 381
(75) R 1964 SC 925 (73) R 1965 SC1017 (16) RF 1966 SC 416 (16) R 1966 SC 619
(6) R 1966 SC1571 (7,13) R 1967 SC 691 (15) RF 1968 SC1138 (51) R 1970 SC 508
(16) RF 1973 SC2734 (35) RF 1976 SC2118 (6) RF 1978 SC1296 (68) RF 1979 SC1550
(14) RF 1980 SC1682 (27) RF 1982 SC1107 (39) R 1987 SC 579 (7) RF 1991 SC1792
(6)
ACT:
Orissa Estates Abolition Act, 1952, ss. 23,
26, 27, 37Orissa Agricultural Income-tax (Amendment) Act, 1950Validity
"Colourable legislation"-Tests of validity-Effect of ulterior
motives-Provisions for vesting buildings and private lands in
Government-Provision for paying compensation in 30 Years Validity -Provisions
introduced in Bill after coming into force of new Constitution-Whether
protected by art. 31(4)-Constitution of India, 1950, arts. 31(2), 31(4);
Sch.VII, List II entry 46, List III entry 42.
HEADNOTE:
The Bill relating to the Orissa Estates
Abolition Act, 1952, was published in the Gazette on the 3rd January, 1950.
It contained a provision that any sum payable
for agricultural incomes-Tax for the previous year should be deducted from the
gross asset of an estate for the purpose of arriving at its not income on the
basis on which compensation was payable to the estate owners. On the 8th January,
1950, a Bill to amend the Orissa Agricultural Income-tax Act of 1947 so as to
enhance the highest rate of tax from 3 annas in the rupee to 4 annas and reduce
the highest slab from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 20,000 was published in the Gazette.
This Bill was dropped by the next Chief Minister who introduced a revised Bill
on the 22nd July, 1950, enhancing the highest rate to 12 annas 6 pies in the
rupee and reducing the highest slab to Rs. 15,000 and this was passed into law
in August, 1950. It was contended that the Orissa Agricultural Income-tax
(Amendment) Act of 1950 was a fraud on the Constitution and as such invalid as
it was a colourable legislation to effect a drastic reduction in the
compensation payable under the Estates Abolition Act:
Held" (i) that the question whether a
law was a colourable legislation and as such void did not depend on the. motive
or bona fides of the legislature in passing the law but upon the competency of
the legislature to pass that particular law, and what the courts have to determine
in such cases is whether though the legislature has purported to act within the
limits of its powers, it has in substance and reality transgressed those
powers, the transgression being veiled by what appears, on proper,examination,
to be a mere pretence or disguise. The whole doctrine of colourable legislation
is based upon the maxim that you cannot do indirectly what you cannot do
directly.
2 (ii) The impugned Act was in substance and
form a law in respect to the "taxing of agricultural income", as
described in entry 46 of List 11 of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution
and, as the State Legislature was competent to legislate on this subject, the
Act was not void, and the fact that the object of the legislature was to
accomplish another purpose, viz., to reduce the compensation payable under the
Estates Abolition Act, cannot render this law a colourable legislation and void
as such, as the ulterior object itself was not beyond the competence of the
legislature.
(iii) Assuming that in India there is no
absolute rule of law that whatever is affixed to or built on the soil becomes a
part of it and is subject to the same rights of property as the soil itself,
there is nothing in law which prevents the State Legislature from providing as
part of an estate abolition scheme that buildings lying within the ambit of an
estate and used primarily for the management or administration of the estate
should vest in the Government as appurtenances to the estate itself. Such
acquisition would come within article 31(2) of the Constitution and if the
conditions laid down in clause (4) of that article are complied with, it would
be protected by that clause even if the compensation provided for is not just
and proper.
(iv) The provisions in the Orissa Estates
Abolition Act, 1950, relating to private lands in the possession of temporary
tenants are not unconstitutional. Merely because compensation was based on the
produce rent payable by the tenants it cannot be said that the landholder was
given compensation only for the landholder's rights and not for the kudivaram
(tenant's) rights also.
(v) The expression "passed by such
legislature" in article 31(4) of the Constitution means passed with or
without amendments and the fact that the provisions relating to vesting of private
lands did not form a part of the Estates Abolition Bill as originally
introduced but were added to the Bill after the new Constitution had come into
force would not deprive those provisions of the protection of article 31(4) of
the Constitution.
(vi) The provision contained in section 37 of
the Orissa Estates Abolition Act, 1950, for payment of compensation by 30
annual installments is not a piece of colourable legislation. It comes clearly
within entry 42 of List III of Schedule VII of the Constitution.
[The question whether the provisions of the
Madras Estates Land (Orissa Amendment) Act, 1947, which empowered the Collector
to settle and reduce rents were void because they involved an improper
delegation of legislative powers to the executive and contravened article 14 of
the Constitution was raised, but with the consent of the counsel, their
Lordships decided to leave the question open as it did not relate to the
validity of the Orissa 3 Estates Abolition Act, which was the subject-matter in
dispute in the present case].
State of Bihar v. Maharajah Kameshwar Singh
and Others ([1952] S.C.R. 889) distinguished. Surya Pal Singh v. The State of
Uttar Pradesh ([1952] S.C.R. 1056) followed.
Attorney-General for Ontario v. Reciprocal
Insurers and Others ([1924] A.C. 328), Attorney-General for Alberta v.
Attorney General for Canada ([1939] A.C.
117), Union Colliery Co. of Br. Columbia Ltd. v. Bryden ([1899] A.C.
580), Cunningham v. Tomeyhomma ([1903] A.C.
151), Be Insurance Act of Canada ([1932] A.C. 41), Moran v. Deputy Commissioner
for Taxation, New South Wales ([1940] A.C. 838) referred to.
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeals
Nos. 71 to 76 of 1953.
Appeals under article 132(1) of the
Constitution of India from the Judgment and Order dated 30th January, 1953, of
the Orissa High Court in Original Jurisdiction Cases Nos. 13, 14, 15, 16, 25
and 26 of 1952. The facts of the case appear in the judgment.
B. Somayya (K. B. Krishnamurthi, with him)
for the appellant in Civil Appeal No. 71 of 1953.
B. Somayya (D. Narasaraju and N. Y. Ramdas,
with him) for the appellant in Civil Appeal No. 72 of 1953.
D. Narasaraju and A. Krishnaswami (N. V.
Ramdas, with them) for the appellant in Civil Appeal No. 73 of 1953.
D. Narasaraju (N. V. Ramdas, wit him) :for
the appellant in Civil Appeal No. 76 of 1953.
D. V. Narasinga Rao for the appellant in
Civil Appeal No. 75 of 1953.
R. Patnaik for the appellant in Civil Appeal
No. 74 of 1953.
M. C. Setalvad, Attorney-General for India,
and Pitambar Misra, Advocate-General of Orissa (P. A. Mehta, with them) for the
respondent.
1953. May 29. The Judgment of the Court was
delivered by MUKHERJEA J.
4 MUKHERJEA J.-These six appeals arise out of
as many applications, presented to the High Court of Orissa, under article 226
of the Constitution, by the proprietors of certain permanently settled estates
within the State of Orissa, challenging the constitutional validity of the
legislation known as the Orissa Estates Abolition Act of 1952 (hereinafter
called "the Act") and praying for mandatory writs against the State
Government restraining them from enforcing the provisions of the Act so far as
the estates owned by the petitioners are concerned.
The impugned Act was introduced in the Orissa
State Legislature on the 17th of January, 1950, and was passed by it on the
28th September, 1951. It was reserved by the State Governor for consideration
of the President and the President gave his assent on 23rd January, 1952. The
Act thus receives the protection of articles 31(4) and 31A of the Constitution
though it was not and could not be included in the list of statutes enumerated
in the ninth schedule to the Constitution, as referred to in article 31B.
The Act, so far as its main features are
concerned, follows the pattern of similar statutes passed by the Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assemblies. The primary purpose of the
Act is to abolish all zemindary and other proprietary estates and interests in
the State of Orissa and after eliminating all the intermediaries, to bring the
ryots or the actual occupants of the lands in direct contact with the State
Government. It may be convenient here to refer briefly to some of the
provisions of the Act which are material for our present purpose. The object of
the legislation is fully set out in the preamble to the Act which discloses the
public purpose underlying it.
Section 2(g) defines an "estate" as
meaning any land held by an intermediary and included under one entry in any of
the general registers of revenue-paying lands and revenue-free lands prepared
and maintained under the law for the time being in force by the Collector of a
district. The expression "intermediary" with reference to any estate
is then defined and it 5 means a proprietor, sub-proprietor, landlord,
landholder ...
thikadar, tenure-holder, under-tenure-holder
and includes the holder of inam estate, jagir and maufi tenures and all other
interests of similar nature between the ryot and the State. Section 3 of the
Act empowers the State Government to declare, by notification, that the estate
described in the notification has vested in the State free from all
encumbrances. Under section 4 it is open to the State Government, at any time
before issuing such notification, to invite proposals from "intermediaries"
for surrender of their estates and if such proposals are accepted, the
surrendered estate shall vest in the Government as soon as the agreement
embodying the terms of surrender is executed.
The consequences of vesting either by issue
of notification or as a result of surrender are described in detail in section
5 of the Act . It would be sufficient for our present purpose to state that the
primary consequence is that all lands comprised in the estate including
communal lands, non-ryoti lands, waste lands, trees, orchards, pasture lands,
forests, mines and minerals, quarries, rivers and streams, tanks, water
channels, fisheries, ferries, hats and bazars, and buildings or structures
together with the land on which they stand shall, subject to the other provisions
of the Act, vest absolutely in the State Government free from all encumbrances
and the intermediary shall cease to have any interest in them. Under section 6,
the intermediary is allowed to keep for himself his homestead and buildings and
structures used for residential or trading purposes such as golas, factories,
mills, etc., but buildings used for office or estate purposes would vest in the
Government. Section 7 provides that an intermediary will be entitled to retain
all lands used for agricultural or horticultural purposes which are in his
kha's possession at the date of vesting. Private lands of the intermediary,
which were held by temporary tenants under him, would however vest in the
Government and the temporary tenants would be deemed to be tenants under the
Government, except where the intermediary himself holds less than 33 acres of
land in any capacity. As 6 regards the compensation to be paid for the
compulsory acquisition of the estates, the principle adopted is that the amount
of compensation would be calculated at a certain number of years' purchase of
the net annual income of the estate during the previous agricultural year, that
is to say, the year immediately preceding that in which the date of vesting
falls. First of all, the gross asset is to be ascertained and by gross asset is
meant the aggregate of the rents including all cesses payable in respect of the
estate.
From the gross asset certain deductions are
made in order to arrive at the net income. These deductions include land
revenue or rent including cesses payable to the State Government, the
agricultural 'income-tax payable in the previous year, any sum payable as
chowkidary or municipal tax in respect of the buildings taken over as office or
estate buildings and also costs of management fixed in accordance with a
sliding percentage scale with reference to the gross income. Any other sum
payable as income-tax in respect of any other kind of income derived from the
estate would also be included in the deductions. The amount of compensation
thus determined is payable in 30 annual equated instalments commencing from the
date of vesting and an option is given to the State Government to make full
payment at any time. These in brief are the main features of the Act.
There was a fairly large number of grounds
put forward on behalf of the appellants before the High Court in assailing the
validity of the Act. It is to be remembered that the question of the
constitutional validity of three other similar legislative measures passed, respectively,
by the Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assemblies had
already come for consideration before this court and this court had pronounced
all of them to be valid with the exception of two very minor provisions in the
Bihar Act. In spite of all the previous pronouncements there appears to have
been no lack of legal ingenuity to support the present attack upon the Orissa
legislation, and as a matter of fact, much of the arguments put forward on
behalf of the appellants purported to have been based 7 on the majority
judgment of this court in the Bihar appeals, where two small provisions of the
Bihar Act were held to be unconstitutional.
The arguments advanced on behalf of the
appellants before the High Court have been classified by the learned Chief
Justice in his judgment under three separate heads. In the first place, there
were contentions raised, attacking the validity of the Act as a whole. In the
second place, the validity of the Act was challenged as far as it related to
certain specified items of property included in an estate, e.g., private lands,
buildings, waste lands, etc. Thirdly, the challenge was as to the validity of
certain provisions in the Act relating to determination of compensation payable
to the intermediary, with reference either to the calculation of the gross
assets or the deductions to be made therefrom for the purpose of arriving at
the net income.
The learned Chief Justice in a most elaborate
judgment discussed all the points raised by the appellants and negatived them
all except that the objections with regard to some of the matters were kept
open. Mr. Justice Narasimham, the other learned Judge in the Bench, while
agreeing with the Chief Justice as to other points, expressed,, in a separate
judgment of his own, his suspicion about the bona fides of the Orissa
Agricultural Income-tax (Second Amendment) Act, 1950, and he was inclined to
hold that though ostensibly it was a taxation measure, it was in
substance-nothing else but a colorable device to cut down drastically the
income of the intermediaries so as to facilitate further reduction of their net
income as provided in clause (b) of section 27(1) of the Act. He, however, did
not dissent from the final decision arrived at by the Chief Justice, the ground
assigned being that whenever there is any doubt regarding the constitutionality
of an enactment, the doubt should always go in favour of the legislature.
The result was that with the exception of the
few matters that were kept open, all the petitions were dismissed. The
proprietors have now come before us on appeal on the strength of certificates
granted by the High Court under articles 132 and 133 8 of the Constitution as
well as under section 110 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
No contention has been pressed before us on
behalf of the appellants attacking the constitutional validity of the Act as a
whole. The arguments that have been advanced by the learned counsel for the
appellants can be conveniently divided under three heads: In the first place,
there has been an attack on the validity of the provisions of two other
statutes, namely, the Orissa Agricultural Income-tax (Amendment) Act, 1950, and
the Madras Estates Land (Amendment) Act, 1947, in so far as they affect the
calculation of the net income of an estate for the purpose of determining the
compensation payable under the Act. In the second place, the provisions of the
Act have been challenged as unconstitutional to the extent that they are
applicable to private lands and buildings of the proprietors, both of which
vest as parts of the estate, under section 5 of the Act. Lastly, the manner of
payment of compensation money, as laid down in section 37 of the Act, has been
challenged as invalid and unconstitutional.
Under the first head the appellants' main
contention relates to the validity of the Orissa Agricultural Income-tax
(Amendment) Act of 1950. This Act, it is said, is not a bona fide taxation
statute at all, but is a colorable piece of legislation, the real object of
which is to reduce, by artificial means, the net income of the intermediaries,
so that the compensation payable to them under the Act might be kept down to as
low a figure as possible. To appreciate this contention of the appellants, it
would be necessary to narrate a few relevant facts. Under section 27 (1)(b) of
the Act, any sum payable in respect of an estate as agricultural income-tax,
for the previous agricultural year, constitutes an item of deduction which has
to be deducted from the gross asset of an estate for the purpose of arriving at
its net income, on the basis of which the amount of compensation is to be
determined. The Estates Abolition Bill was published in the local gazette on
3rd January 1950, As has been said 9 already, it was introduced in the Orissa
Legislative Assembly on the 17th of January following and it was passed on the
28th September, 1951. There was an Agricultural Income-tax Act in force in the
State of Orissa from the year 1947 which provided a progressive scale of
taxation on agricultural income, the highest rate of tax being 3 annas in the
rupee on a slab of over Rs. 30,000 received as agricultural income. On 8th
January, 1950, that is to say, five days after the publication of the Abolition
Bill, an amended agricultural income-tax bill was published in the official
gazette. At that time Mr. H. K. Mahtab was the Chief Minister of Orissa and
this bill was sponsored by him.
The changes proposed by this Amendment Act
were not very material. The highest rate was enhanced from 3 annas to 4 annas
in the rupee and the highest slab was reduced from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 20,000.
For some reason or other, however, this bill was dropped and a revised bill
was_ published in the local gazette on 22nd July, 1950, and it passed into law
on 10th of August following. This new Act admittedly made changes of a very
drastic character regarding agricultural income-tax. The rate of taxation was
greatly enhanced for slabs of agricultural income above Rs. 15,000 and for the
highest slab the rate prescribed was as much as 12 annas 6 pies in the rupee.
It was stated in the statement of objects and reasons that the enhanced
agricultural income was necessary for financing various development schemes in
the State. This, it is said, was wholly untrue for it could not be disputed
that almost all the persons who came within the higher income group and were
primarily affected by the enhanced rates were intermediaries under the Estates
Abolition Bill which was at that time before the Select Committee and was
expected to become law very soon, and as the legislature had already definitely
decided to extinguish this class of intermediaries, it was absurd to say that
an increased taxation upon them was necessary for the development schemes. The
object of this amended legislation, according to the appellants, was totally
different from what it ostensibly purported 2 10 to be and the object was
nothing else but to use it as a means of effecting a drastic reduction in the
income of the intermediaries, so that the compensation payable to them may be reduced
almost to nothing. This change in the provisions of the Agricultural Income-tax
Bill, it is further pointed out, synchronized with a change in the Ministry of
the Orissa State. The original amended bill was introduced by the then Chief
Minister, Mr. H. K. Mahtab, who was in favour of allowing suitable compensation
to expropriated zemin.
dars; but his successor, who introduced the
revised bill, was said to be a champion of the abolition of zemindary rights
with little or no compensation to the proprietors.
In these circumstances, the argument of the
learned counsel is that the agricultural income-tax legislation being really
not a taxation statute but a mere device for serving another collateral purpose
constitutes a fraud on the Constitution and as such is invalid, either in its
entirety, or at any rate to the extent that it affects the estate abolition
scheme. We have been referred to a number of decisions on this point where the
doctrine of colourable legislation came up for discussion before courts of law;
and stress is laid primarily upon the pronouncement of the majority of this
court in the case of The State of Bihar v. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh and Others
(1) which held two provisions of the Bihar Land Reforms Act, namely, sections
4(b) and 23 (f) to be unconstitutional on the ground, among others, that these
provisions constituted a fraud on the Constitution.
The fact that the provisions in the amended
Agricultural Income-tax Act were embodied in a separate statute and not
expressly made a part of the Abolition Act itself should not, it is argued,
make any difference in principle. As the question is of some importance and is
likely to be debated in similar cases in future, it would be necessary to
examine the precise scope and meaning of what is known ordinarily as the
doctrine of "colourable legislation".
It may be made clear at the outset that the
doctrine of colourable legislation does not involve any question (1) [1952]
S.C.R. 889.
of bona fides or mala fides on the part of
the legislature.
The whole doctrine resolves itself into the,
question of competency of a particular legislature to enact a particular law.
If the legislature is competent to pass a particular law, the motives which
impelled it to act are really irrelevant. On the other hand, if the legislature
lacks competency, the question of motive does not arise at all.
Whether a statute is constitutional or not is
thus always a question of power( ' (1). A distinction, however, exists between
a legislature which is legally omnipotent like the British Parliament and the
laws promulgated by which could not be challenged on the ground of
incompetency, and a legislature which enjoys only a limited or a qualified
jurisdiction. If the Constitution of a State distributes the legislative powers
amongst different bodies, which have to act within their respective spheres
marked out by specific legislative entries, or if there are limitations on the
legislative authority in the shape of fundamental rights, questions do arise as
to whether the legislature in a particular case has or has not, in respect to
the subjectmatter of the statute or in the method of enacting it, transgressed
the limits of its constitutional powers. Such transgression may be patent,
manifest or direct, but it may also be disguised, covert and indirect and it is
to this latter class of cases that the expression "colorable
legislation" has been applied in certain Judicial pronouncements. The idea
conveyed by the expression is that although apparently a legislature in passing
a statute purported to act within the limits of its powers, yet in substance
and in reality it transgressed these powers, the transgression being veiled by
what appears, on proper examination, to be a mere presence or disguise. As was
said by Duff J. in Attorney-General for Ontario v. Reciprocal Insurers and
Others(2), "Where the law making authority is of a limited or qualified
character it may be necessary to examine with some strictness the substance of
the legislation (1) Vide Cooley's Constitutional Limitations Vol. I. p.
379.
(2) [1924] A.C. 328 at 337.
12 for the purpose of determining what is
that the legislature is really doing." In other words, it is the substance
of the Act that is material and not merely the form or outward appearance, and
if the subject-matter in substance is something which is beyond the powers of
that legislature to legislate upon, the form in which the law is clothed would
not save it from condemnation. The legislature cannot violate the
constitutional prohibitions by employing an indirect method.
In cases like these, the enquiry must always
be as to the true nature and character of the challenged legislation and it is
the result of such investigation and not the form alone that will determine as
to whether or not it relates to a subject which is within the power of the
legislative authority(1). For the purpose of this investigation the court could
certainly examine the effect of the legislation and take into consideration its
object, purpose or design(1). But these are only relevant for the purpose of
ascertaining the true character and substance of the enactment and the class of
subjects of legislation to which it really belongs and not for finding out the
motives which induced the legislature to exercise its powers. It is said by
Lefroy in his well known work on Canadian Constitution that even if the
legislature avow on the face of an Act that it intends thereby to legislate in
reference to a subject over which it has no jurisdiction, yet if the enacting
clauses of the Act bring the legislation within its powers, the Act cannot be
considered ultra vires(3).
In support of his contention that the Orissa
Agricultural Income-tax (Amendment) Act of 1950 is a colorable piece of
legislation and hence ultra vires the Constitution, the learned counsel for the
appellants, as said above, placed considerable reliance upon the majority
decision of thiscourt in the case of The State of Bihar v. Sir Kameshwar
Singh(4), where two clauses (1) Vide Attorney-General for Ontario v. Reciprocal
Insurers and Others, [1924] A.C. 328 at 337.
(2) Vide Attorney-General for Alberta v.
Attorney-General for Canada, [19391 A.C. I 17 at 130.
(3) See Lefroy on Canadian Constitution, page
75.
(4) [1952] S.C.R. 889.
13 of the Bihar Land Reform Act were held to
be unconstitutional as being colourable exercise of legislative power under
entry 42 of List III of Schedule VII of the Constitution. The learned counsel
has also referred us, in this connection, to a number of cases, mostly of the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, where the doctrine of colourable
legislation came up for consideration in relation to certain enactments of the
Canadian and Australian legislatures. The principles laid down in these
decisions do appear to us to be fairly well settled, but we do not think that
the appellants in these appeals could derive much assistance from them.
In the cases from Canada, the question
invariably has been whether the Dominion Parliament has, under colour of
general legislation, attempted to deal with what are merely provincial matters,
or conversely whether the Provincial legislatures under the pretence of
legislating on any of the matters enumerated in section 92 of the British North
America Act really legislated on a matter assigned to the Dominion Parliament.
In the case of Union Colliery Company of British, Columbia Ltd. v. Bryden( ),
the question raised was whether section 4 of the British Columbian Coal Mines
Regulation Act, 1890, which prohibited China men of full age from employment in
under-ground coal working, was, in that respect, ultra vires of the Provincial
legislature. The question was answered in the affirmative. It was held that if
it was regarded merely as a coal working regulation, it could certainly come
within section 92, sub-section (10) or (13), of the British North America Act;
but its exclusive application to Chinamen, who were aliens or naturalised
subjects, would be a statutory prohibition which was within the exclusive
authority of the Dominion Parliament, conferred by section 91, sub-section
(25), of the Act. As the Judicial Committee themselves explained in a later
case(2), the regulations in the British Columbian Act "were not really
aimed at the regulation of coal mines at all, but were in truth a device to
deprive the Chinese, (1) [1899] A.C. 580.
(2) Vide Cunningham v. Tomeyhomma [1903] A.C.
151 at 157.
14 naturalised or not, of the ordinary rights
of the inhabitants of British Columbia and in effect to prohibit their
continued residence in that province since it prohibited their earning their
living in that province." On the other hand, in ReInsurance Act of
Canada(1), the Privy Council had to deal with the constitutionality of sections
11 and 12 of the Insurance Act of Canada passed by the Dominion Parliament under
which it was declared to be unlawful for any Canadian company or an alien,
whether a natural person or a foreign company, to carry on insurance business
except under a licence from the Minister, granted pursuant to the provisions of
the Act. The question was whether a foreign or British insurer licensed under
the Quebec Insurance Act was entitled to carry on business within that Province
without taking out a licence under the Dominion Act? It was held that sections
1 1 and 12 of the Canadian Insurance Act, which required the foreign insurers
to be licensed, were ultra vires, since in the guise of legislation as to
aliens and immigration -matters admittedly within the Dominion authority the
Dominion legislature was seeking to intermeddle with the conduct of insurance
business which was a subject exclusively within the provincial authority. The
whole law on this point was thus summed up by Lord Maugham in Attorney-General
for Alberta v.
Attorney-General for Canada(2):
"It is not competent either for the Dominion
or a Province under the guise, or the pretence, or in the form of an exercise
of its own powers to carry out an object which is beyond its powers and a
trespass on the exclusive power of the other." The same principle has been
applied where the question was not of one legislature encroaching upon the
exclusive field of another but of itself violating any constitutional guarantee
or prohibition. As an illustration of this type of cases we may refer to the
Australian case of Moran v. The Deputy Commissioner of Taxation for New South
Wales(3).
What happened (1)[1932] A.C. 41. (3)
[1940]A.C.838.
(2)[1939] A.C. 117 at 130.
15 in that case was that in pursuance of a
joint Commonwealth and States scheme to ensure to wheat growers in all the
Australian States "a payable price for their produce " a number of
Acts were passed by the Commonwealth Parliament imposing taxes on flour sold in
Australia for home consumption, so as to provide a fund available for payment
of moneys to wheat growers. Besides a number of taxing statutes, which imposed
tax on flour, the Wheat Industry Assistance Act No. 53 of 1938 provided for a
fund into which the taxes were to be paid and of which certain payments were to
be made to the wheat growers in accordance with State legislation. In the case
of Tasmania where the quantity of wheat grown was relatively small but the
taxes were imposed as in the other States, it was agreed as a part of the
scheme and was provided by section 14 of the Wheat Industry Assistance Act that
a special grant should be made to Tasmania, not subject to any federal
statutory conditions but intended to be applied by the Government of Tasmania,
in paying back to Tasmanian millers, nearly the whole of the flour tax paid by
them and provision to give effect to that purpose was made by the Flour Tax
Relief Act No. 40 of 1938 of the State of Tasmania. The contention raised was
that these Acts were a part of a scheme of taxation operating and intended to
operate by way of discriminating between States or parts of States and as such
were contrary to the provisions of section 51(ii) of the Commonwealth
Australian Constitution Act. The matter came up for consideration before a full
court of the High Court of Australia and the majority of the Judges came to the
conclusion that such legislation was protected by Section 96 of the
Constitution, which empowered the Parliament of the Commonwealth to grant
financial assistance to any State on such terms and conditions as the
Parliament thought fit. Evatt J. in a separate judgment dissented from the view
and held that under the guise of executing the powers under section 96 of the
Constitution, the legislature had really violated the constitutional
prohibition laid down in section 51(ii) of the Constitution. There was an
appeal taken to the Privy Council. The Privy Council 16 affirmed the judgment
of the majority but pointed out that " cases may be imagined in which a
purported exercise of the power to grant financial assistance under section 96
would be merely colourable. Under the guise and pretence of assisting a State
with money, the real substance and purpose of the Act might simply be to effect
discrimination in regard to taxation. Such an Act might well be ultra vires the
Commonwealth Parliament." We will now come to the decision of the majority
of this court regarding two clauses in the Bihar Land Reforms Act which seems
to be the sheet anchor of the appellants' case(1). In that case the provisions
of sections 23(f) and 4(b) of the Bihar Land Reforms Act were held to be invalid
by the majority of this court not on the ground that, in legislating on these
topics, the State legislature had encroached upon the exclusive field of the
Central legislature, but that the subjectmatter of legislation did not at all
come within the ambit of item No. 42 of List III, Schedule VII of the
Constitution under which it purported to have been enacted. As these sections
did not come within entry 42, the consequence was that half of the arrears of
rent as well as 12'% of the gross assets of an estate were taken away,
otherwise than by authority of law and therefore there was a violation of
fundamental rights guaranteed by article 31 (1) of the Constitution. This was a
form of colourable legislation which made these provisions ultra vires the
Constitution.
It may be stated here that section 23 of the
Bihar Land Reforms Act lays down the method of computing the net income of an
estate or a tenure which is the subject-matter of acquisition under the Act. In
arriving at the net income certain deductions are to be made from the gross
asset and the deductions include, among others, revenue, cess and agricultural
income tax payable in respect of the properties and also the costs of
management. Section 23 (f) provided another item of deduction under which a sum
representing 4 to 121 % of the gross asset of an estate was to be (1) Vide The
State of Bihar v. Sir Kameshwar Singh, [1952] S.C.R. 889.
17 deducted as "costs of works for
benefit to the raiyat". The other provision contained in section 4 (b)
provides that all arrears of rent which had already accrued due to the landlord
prior to the date of vesting shall vest in the State and the latter would pay
only 50% of these arrears to the landlord. Both these provisions purported to
have been enacted under entry 42 of List III Schedule VII of the Constitution
and that entry speaks of" principles on which compensation for property
acquired is to be -determined and the form and manner in which that
compensation is to be given." It was held in the Bihar case(1) by the
majority of this court that the item of deduction provided for in section 23(f)
was a fictitious item wholly unrelated to facts. There was no definable
pre-existing liability on the part of the landlord to execute works of any kind
for the benefit of the raiyat. What was attempted to be done, therefore, was to
bring within. the scope of the legislation something which not being existent
at all could not have conceivable relation to any principle of compensation.
This was, therefore, held to be a colourable piece of legislation which though
purporting to have been made under entry 42 could not factually come within its
scope.
The same principle was held applicable in
regard to acquisition of arrears of rent which had become due to the landlord
prior to the date of vesting. The net result of this provision was that the
State Government was given the power to appropriate to itself half of the
arrears of rent due to the landlord without giving him any compensation
whatsoever. Taking the whole and returning the half meant nothing more or less
than taking the half without any return and this, it was held, could not be
regarded as a principle of compensation in any sense of the word. It was held
definitely by one of the learned Judges, who constituted the majority, that
item 42 of List III was nothing but the description of a legislative head and
in deciding the competency of the legislation under this entry, the court is
not concerned with the justice or propriety of the (1) [1952] S.C.R. 889.
3 18 principles upon which the assessment of
compensation is directed to be made; but it must be a principle of
compensation, no matter whether it was just or unjust and there could be no
principle of compensation based upon something which was unrelated to facts. It
may be mentioned here that two of the three learned Judges who formed the
majority did base their decision regarding the invalidity of the provision,
relating to arrears of rent, mainly on the ground that there was no public
purpose behind such acquisition. It was held by these Judges that the scope of
article 31(4) is limited to the express provisions of article 31(2) and
although the court could not examine the adequacy of the provision for
compensation contained in any law which came within the purview of article
31(4), yet that clause did not in any way debar the court from considering
whether the acquisition was for any public purpose. This view was not taken by
the majority of the court and Mr.
Narasaraju, who argued the appeals before us,
did not very properly pursue that line of reasoning. This being the position,
the question now arises whether the majority decision of this court with regard
to the two provisions of the Bihar Act is really of any assistance to the
appellants in the cases before us. In our opinion, the question has, got to be
answered in the negative.
In the first place, the line of reasoning
underlying the majority decision in the Bihar case(1) cannot possibly have any
application to the facts of the present case. The Orissa Agricultural
Income-tax (Amendment) Act of 1950 is certainly a legislation on " taxing
of agricultural income " as described in entry 46 of List II of the
Seventh Schedule.
The State legislature had undoubted
competency to legislate on agricultural income tax and the substance of the
amended legislation of 1950 is that it purports to increase the existing rates
of agricultural income-tax, the highest rate being fixed at 12 annas 6 pies in
the rupee. This may be unjust or inequitable, but that does not affect the competency
of the legislature. It cannot be said, as was said in the Bihar case(1), that
the legislation purported to be based (1) (1952) S.C.R. 889.
19 on something which was unrelated to facts
and did not exist at all. Both in form and in substance the Act was an
agricultural income-tax legislation and agricultural incometax is certainly a
relevant item of deduction in the computation of the net income of an estate
and is not unrelated to it as item No. 23(f) of the Bihar Act was held to be.
If under the existing law the agricultural incometax was payable at a
certain-rate and without any amendment or change in the law, it was provided in
the Estates Abolition Act that agricultural income-tax should be deducted from
the gross asset at a higher rate than what was payable under law, it might have
been possible to argue that there being no pre-existing liability of this
character it was really a non-existing thing and could not be an ingredient in
the assessment of compensation. But here the Agricultural Income-tax
(Amendment) Act was passed in August, 1950. It came into force immediately
thereafter and agricultural income-tax was realised on the basis of the amended
Act in the following year. It was, therefore, an existing liability in 1952,
when the Estates Abolition Act came into force. It may be that many of the
people belonging to the higher income group did disappear as a result of the
Estates Abolition Act, but even then there were people still existing upon whom
the Act could operate.
The contention of Mr. Narasaraju really is
that though apparently it purported to be a taxation statute coming under entry
46 of List II, really and in substance it was not so. It was introduced under
the guise of a taxation statute with a view to accomplish an ulterior purpose,
namely, to inflate the deductions for the purpose of valuing an estate so that
the compensation payable in respect of it might be as small as possible.
Assuming that it is so..
still it cannot be regarded as a colourable
legislation in accordance with the principles indicated above, unless the
ulterior purpose which it is intended to serve is something which lies beyond
the powers of the legislature to legislate upon. The whole doctrine of
colourable legislation is based upon the maxim that you cannot do indirectly
what you cannot do 20 directly. If a legislature is competent to do a thing
directly, then the mere fact that it attempted to do it in an indirect or
disguised manner, cannot make the Act invalid. Under entry 42 of List III which
is a mere head of legislative power the legislature can adopt any principle of
compensation in respect to properties compulsorily acquired.
Whether the deductions are large or small,
inflated or deflated they do not affect the constitutionality of a legislation
under this entry' The only restrictions on this power, as -has been explained
by this court in the earlier cases, are those mentioned in article 31(2) of the
Constitution and if in the circumstances of a particular case the provision of
article 31(4) is attracted to a legislation, no objection as to the amount or
adequacy of the compensation can at all be raised. The fact that the deductions
are unjust, exorbitant or improper does not make the legislation invalid,
unless it is shown to be based on something which is unrelated to facts. As we
have already stated, the question of motive does not really arise in such cases
and one of the learned Judges of the High Court in our opinion pursued a wrong
line of enquiry in trying to find out what actually the motives were which
impelled the legislature to act in this manner. It may appear on scrutiny that
the real purpose of a legislation is different from what appears on the face of
it, but it would be a colourable legislation only if it is shown that the real
object is not attainable to it by reason of any constitutional limitation or
that it lies within the exclusive field of another legislature. The result is
that in our opinion the Orissa Agricultural Income-tax (Amendment) Act of 1950
could not be held to be a piece of colourable legislation, and as such invalid.
The first point raised on behalf of the appellants must therefore fail.
The other point raised by the learned counsel
for the appellants under the first head of his arguments relates to the
validity of certain provisions of the Madras Estates Land (Orissa Amendment)
Act of 1947. This argument is applicable only to those estates which are 21
situated in what is known as ex-Madras area, that is to say, which formerly
belonged to the State of Madras but became a part of Orissa from 1st April,
1936. The law regulating the relation of landlord and tenant in these areas is
contained in the Madras Estates Land Act of 1908 and this Act was amended with
reference to the areas situated in the State of Orissa by the amending Act XIX
of 1947. The provisions in the amended Act, to which objections have been taken
by the learned counsel for the appellants, relate to settlement and reduction
of rents payable by raiyats. Under section 168 of the Madras Estates Land Act,
settlement of rents in any village or area for which a record of rights has
been published can be made either on the application of the landholder or the
raivats. On such application being made, the Provincial Government may at any
time direct the Collector to settle fair and equitable rents in respect of the
lands situated therein. Sub-section (2) of section 168 expressly provides that
in settling rents under this section, the Collector shall presume, until the
contrary is proved, that the existing rate of rent is fair and equitable, and
he would further have regard to the provisions of this Act for determining the
rates of rent payable by raiyats. Section 177 provides that when any rent is
settled under this chapter, it can neither be enhanced nor reduced for a period
of 20 years, except on grounds specified in sections 30 and 38 of the Act
respectively.
The amending Act of 1947 introduced certain
changes in this law. A new section, namely, section 168-A was. introduced and a
further provision was added to section 177 as subsection (2) of that section,
the original section being renumbered as sub-section (1). Section 168-A of the
amended Act runs as follows:-(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act
the Provincial Government may, on being satisfied that the exercise of the
powers hereinafter mentioned is necessary in the interests of public order or
of the local welfare or that the rates of rent payable in money or in kind
whether commuted, settled or 22 otherwise fixed are unfair or inequitable invest
the Collector with the following powers:(a) Power to settle fair and equitable
rents in cash;
(b) Power, when settling rents to reduce
rents if in the opinion of the Collector the continuance of the existing rents
would on any ground, whether specified in this Act or not, be unfair and
inequitable.
(2) The power given under this section may be
made exercisable within specified areas either generally or with reference to
specified cases or class of cases." Sub-section (2) which has been added
to section 177 stands thus:-" 2(a) Notwithstanding anything in sub-section
(1) where rent is settled under the provisions of section 168-A, the Provincial
Government may either retrospectively or prospectively prescribe the date on
which such settlement shall take effect. In giving retrospective effect the
Provincial Government may, at their discretion, direct that the rent so settled
shall take effect from a date prior to the commencement of the Madras Estates
Land (Orissa Amendment) Act, 1947." The appellants' contention is that by
these amended provisions the Provincial Government was authorised to invest the
Collector with power to settle and reduce rents, in any way he liked,
unfettered by any of the rules and principles laid down in the Act and the Provincial
Government was also at liberty to direct that the reduction of rents should
take effect retrospectively, even with reference to a period for which rents
had already been paid by the tenant. Under section 26 of the Orissa Estates
Abolition Act, the gross asset of an estate is to be calculated on the basis of
rents payable by raiyats for the previous agricultural year. According to the
appellants, the State Government made use of the provisions of the amended
Madras Estates Land (Orissa Amendment) Act to reduce arbitrarily the rents
payable by raiyats and further to make the reduction take effect
retrospectively, so that the diminished rents could be reckoned 23 as rents for
the previous year in accordance with the provision of section 26 of the Estates
Abolition Act and thus deflate the basis upon which the gross asset of an
estate was to be computed.
It is conceded by the learned counsel for the
appellants that the amendments in the Madras Estates Land Act are no part of
the Estates Abolition Act of Orissa and there is no question of any colourable
exercise of legislative powers in regard to the enactment of these provisions.
The legislation, however, has been challenged, as unconstitutional, on two
grounds. First of all, it is urged that by the amended sections mentioned
above, there has been an improper delegation of legislative powers by the
legislature to the Provincial Government, the latter being virtually empowered
to repeal existing laws which govern the relations between landlord and tenant
in those areas. The other ground put forward is that these provisions offend
against the equal protection clause embodied in article 14 of the Constitution.
It is pointed out that the Provincial Government is -given unfettered
discretion to choose the particular areas where the settlement of rent is to be
made.
The Government has also absolute power to
direct that the reduced rents should take effect either prospectively or
retrospectively in particular cases as they deem proper. It is argued that
there being no principle of classification indicated in these legislative
provisions and the discretion vested in the Government being an uncontrolled
and unfettered discretion guided by no legislative policy, the provisions are
void as repugnant to article 14 of the Constitution.
In reply to these arguments it has been
contended by the learned Attorney-General that, apart from the fact as to
whether the contentions are well-founded or not, they are not relevant for
purposes of the present case. The arguments put forward by the appellants are
not grounds of attack on the validity of the Estates Abolition Act, which, is
the subject-matter of dispute in the present case, and it is not suggested that
the provisions of the Estates Abolition Act relating to 24 the computation of
gross asset on the basis of rents payable by raiyats is in any way illegal. The
grievance of the appellants in substance is that the machinery of the amended
Act is being utilised by the Government for the purpose of deflating the gross
asset of an estate. We agree with the learned Attorney-General that if the
appellants are right in their contention, they can raise these objections if
and when the gross assets are sought to be computed on the basis of the rents
settled under the above provisions. If the provisions are void, the rents
settled in pursuance thereof could not legitimately form the basis of the
valuation of the estate under the Estates Abolition Act and it might be open to
the appellants then to say that for purposes of section 26 of the Estates
Abolition Act, the rents payable for the previous year would be the rents
settled under the Madras Estates Land Act, as it stood unamended before 1947.
The learned counsel for the appellants
eventually agreed with the views of the Attorney-General on this point and with
the consent of both sides we decided to leave these questions open. They should
not be deemed to have been decided in these cases.
The appellants' second head of arguments
relates to two items of property, namely, buildings and private lands of the
intermediary, which, along with other interests, vest in the State under
section 5 of the Act.
There are different provisions in the Act in
regard to different classes of buildings. Firstly, dwelling houses used by an
intermediary for purposes of residence or for commercial or trading purposes
remain with him on the footing of his being a tenant under the State in respect
to the sites thereof and paying such fair and equitable rent as might be
determined in accordance with the provisions of the Act. In the second place,
buildings used primarily as office or kutchery for man agement of the estates
or for collection of rents or as rest houses for estate servants or as golas
for storing of rents in kind vest in the State and the owner is allowed
compensation in respect thereof. In addition to these, there are certain
special provisions in the Act 25 relating to buildings constructed after 1st
January, 1946, and used for residential or trading purposes, in respect to
which the question of bona fides as to its construction and use might be raised
and investigated by the Collector.
There are separate provisions also in respect
to buildings constructed before 1st January, 1946, which were not in possession
of the intermediary at the date of coming into force of the Act. The questions
arising in regard to this class of cases have been left open by the High Court
and we are not concerned with them in the present appeals. No objection has
been taken by the appellants in respect to the provisions of the Act relating
to buildings used for residential or trade purposes. Their objections relate
only to the building used for estate or office purposes which vest in the State
Government under the provisions of the Act.
In regard to these provisions, it is urged
primarily that the buildings raised on lands do not necessarily become parts of
the land under Indian law and the legislature, therefore, was wrong in treating
them as parts of the estate for purposes of acquisition. This contention, we
are afraid, raises an unnecessary issue with which we are not at all concerned
in the present cases. Assuming that in India there is no absolute rule of law
that whatever is affixed to or built on the soil becomes a part of it and is
subject to the same rights of property as the soil itself, there is nothing in
law which prevents the State legislature from providing as a part of the
estates abolition scheme that buildings, lying within the ambit of an estate
and used primarily for management or administration of the estate.
would vest in the Government as appurtenances
to the estate itself. This is merely ancillary to the acquisition of an estate
and forms an integral part of the abolition scheme.
Such acquisition would come within article
31(2) of the Constitution and if the conditions laid down in clause (4) of that
article are complied with, it would certainly attract the protection afforded
by that clause.
Compensation has been pro. vided for these
buildings in section 26(2) (iii) of the 4 26 Act and the annual rent of these
buildings determined in the prescribed manner constitutes one of the elements
for computation of the gross asset of an estate. The contention of the
appellants eventually narrows down to this that the effect of treating the
annual valuation of the buildings as part of the gross asset of the estate in
its entirety, leads to unjust results, for if these buildings were treated as
separate properties, the intermediaries could have got compensation on a much
higher scale in accordance with the slab system adopted in the Act. To this
objection, two answers can be given. In the first place, if these buildings are
really appurtenant to the estate, they can certainly be valued as parts of the
estate itself. In the second place, even if the compensation provided for the
acquisition of the buildings is not just and proper, the provision of article
31 (4) of the Constitution would be a complete answer to such acquisition.
As regards the private lands of the
proprietor, the appellants have taken strong exception to the provisions of the
Act so far as they relate to private lands in possession of temporary tenants.
In law these lands are in possession of the proprietor and the temporary
tenants cannot acquire occupancy rights therein, yet they vest, under the Act,
in the State Government on the acquisition of an estate, the only exception
being made in cases of small land-holders who do not hold more than 33 acres of
land in any capacity.
Section 8(1) of the Act gives the temporary
tenants the right to hold the lands in their occupation under the State
Government on the same terms as they held them under the proprietor. Under the
Orissa Tenants Protection Act, which is a temporary Act, the landholder is not
entitled to get contractual or competitive rents from these temporary tenants
in possession of his private lands and the rent is fixed at two-fifths of the
gross produce. It is on the basis of this produce rent which is included in the
computation of the gross asset of an estate under section 26 of the Act, that
the land-holder gets compensation in respect to the private lands in occupation
of temporary tenants. The appellants' main contention is that although in these
lands 27 both the melvaram and kudivaram rights, that is to say, both the
proprietor's as well as the raiyat's interests are united in the land-holder,
the provisions of the Act indicated above have given no compensation whatsoever
for the kudivaram or the tenant's right and in substance this interest has been
confiscated without any return. This, in our opinion, is a wrong way of looking
at the provisions for compensation made in the Act. The Orissa Act, like
similar Acts passed by the legislatures of other States, provides for payment
of compensation on the basis of the net income of the whole estate. One result
of the adoption of this principle, undoubtedly is, that no compensation is
allowed in respect of potential values of properties; and those parts of an
estate which do not fetch any income have practically been ignorned. There is
no doubt that the Act does not give anything like a fair or market price of the
properties acquired and the appellants may be right in their contention that
the compensation allowed is inadequate and improper; but that does not affect
the constitutionality of the provisions. In the first place, no question of
inadequacy of compensation can be raised in view of the provision of article
31(4) of the Constitution and it cannot also be suggested that the rule for
payment of compensation on rental basis is outside the ambit of entry 42 of
List Ill. This point is concluded by the earlier decision of this court in Raja
Suriya Pal Singh v. The State of U.P.(1) and is not open to further discussion.
Mr. Narasaraju is not right in saying that the compensation for the private
lands in possession of temporary tenants has been given only for the landlord's
interest in these properties and nothing has been given in lieu of the tenant's
interest. The entire interest of the proprietor in these lands has been
acquired and the compensation payable for the whole interest has been assessed
on the basis of the net income of the property as represented by the share of
the produce payable by the temporary tenants to the landlord. It is true that
the Orissa Tenants Protection Act is a temporary statute, but whether or not it
is renewed in future, the (1) [1952] S.C.R. 1056.
28 rent fixed by it has been taken only as
the measure of tile income derivable from these properties at the date of
acquisition.
Mr. Narasaraju further argues that his
clients are not precluded from raising any objection on the ground of
inadequacy of compensation in regard to these private lands by reason of
article 31(4) of the Constitution, as the provision of that article is not
attracted to the facts of the present case. What is said is, that the original
Estates Abolition Bill, which was pending before the Orissa Legislature at the
time when the Constitution came into force, did not contain any provision that
the private lands of the proprietor in occupation of temporary tenants would
also vest in the State. This provision was subsequently introduced by way of
amendment during the progress of the Bill and after the Constitution came into
force. It is argued, therefore, that this provision is not protected by article
31(4). The contention seems to us to be manifestly untenable. Article 31(4) is
worded as follows:"If any Bill pending at the commencement of this
-Constitution in the Legislature of a State has, after it has been passed by
such Legislature, been reserved for the consideration of the President and has
received his assent, then, notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, the
law so assented to shall not be called in question in any court on the ground
that it contravenes the provisions of clause (2)." Thus it is necessary
first of all that the Bill, which ultimately becomes law, should be pending
before the State Legislature at the time of the coming into force of the
Constitution. That Bill must be passed by the Legislature and then receive the
assent of the President. It is the law to which the assent of the President is
given that is protected from any attack on the ground of non-compliance with
the provisions of clause (2) of article 31. The fallacy in the reasoning of the
learned counsel lies in the assumption that the Bill has got to be passed in
its original shape without any change whatsoever, before the provision of
clause (4) of article 31 could be attracted.
There is no 29 warrant for such assumption in
the language of the clause.
The expression "passed by such
Legislature" must mean "passed with or without amendments" in
accordance with the normal procedure contemplated by article 107 of the
Constitution. There can be no doubt that all the requirements of article 31(4) have
been complied with in the present case and consequently there is no room for
any objection to the legislation on the ground that the compensation provided
by it is inadequate.
The last contention of the appellants is
directed against the provision of the Act -laying down the manner of payment of
the compensation money. The relevant section is section 37 and it provides for
the payment of compensation together with interest in 30 annual equated installments
leaving it open to the State to make the payment in full at any time prior to
the expiration of the period. The validity of this provision has been
challenged on the ground that it is a piece of colourable legislation which
comes within the principle enunciated by the majority of this court in the
Bihar case referred to above. It is difficult to appreciate this argument of
the learned counsel. Section 37 of the Act contains the legislative provision
regarding the form and the manner in which the compensation for acquired
properties is to be given and as such it comes within the clear language of
entry 42 of List III, Schedule VII of the Constitution. It is not a legislation
on something which is non-existent or unrelated to facts. It cannot also be
seriously contended that what section 37 provides for, is not the giving of compensation
but of negativing the right to compensation as the learned counsel seems to
suggest.
There is no substance in this contention and
we have no hesitation in overruling it. The result is that all the points
raised by the learned counsel for the appellants fail and the appeals are
dismissed. Having regard to some important constitutional questions involved in
these cases which needed clearing up, we direct that each party should bear his
own costs in these appeals.
Appeals dismissed.
30 Agent for the appellant in Civil Appeal
Nos. 71, 72, 73, 75 & 76: M. S. K. Sastri.
Agent for the appellant in Civil Appeal No.
74: R.C. Prasad.
Agent for the respondent: G. H. Rajadhyaksha.
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