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"The residents of the Harijanwada Katur village have represented that they have been using a strip of Poramboke land in R.S. No. 813/2 as a pathway to reach the public latrine situated to the east of the playground of the Zilla Parishad High School, Katuru and that in order to ensue the pathway to the lavatories along side of the said playground, the school committee may be asked to shift the fencing leaving the footpath of 8 feet which has always been used by the residents of the Harijanwada. The site under reference lies in R.S. No. 812/2 and it has been inspected by the Collector on 1-9-1974. During the inspection it is established beyond doubt that the residents of the Harijanwada have been using the pathway along side the playground for over a long time. To enclose the playground in R.S. No. 813/2 with a fence by the High School Committee cutting across the pathway is unfair and it is against the custom and usage and is calculated to deprive the Harijan residents of the facility of the pathway running along side of the playground to reach the latrines. As the fencing proposed to be put up is calculated to harm the interests of the Harijans, the school committee is directed to shift the fencing beyond the said pathway of 9 feet width so that the clearance between the Harijanwada and pathway which has always been used by the Harijans may continue to be available to them as it is an indispensable passage to the place used by them for lavatory purpose.
The Revenue Divisional Officer, Nuzvid is requested to take immediate necessary action to see that the fencing is shifted beyond the aforesaid pathway as indicated above."

The High School Committee was directed to shift the fencing beyond the said pathway of 9 feet width so that clearance between the Harijanwada and the pathway may continue to be available to them. According to the Collector, the act of the High School Committee in cutting across the pathway is unfair and is against "custom and usage and is calculated to deprive the Harijan residents of the pathway running along side of the playground to reach the latrines." Though no notice or opportunity was given to the school committee or is President before passing the impugned order, a copy of order was marked and communicated to the President of the School Committee through the Headmaster, pH School, Katur. Aggrieved by the decision of the Collector, the appellant preferred a revision to the State Government on 4-10-1974. Though stay of the operation of the order of the District Collector was granted by the Government on 11-10-1974. Pending final orders on the revision petition, the revision was finally rejected on 12-5-1975. It was pointed out in the Government order that the Collector, Executive Engineer and Chairman of the Zilla Parishad inspected the site but no objection was raised for the alienation of the 9 ft width of site along the northern border of the school to the pathway for Harijans and there was already a beaten pathway along the northern border of the school site to indicate that it was used by the residents of the Harijanwada. It was further observed thus:

4. This claim of the appellant is strongly resisted by the learned Government Pleader for Panchayat contending inter alia that the land in dispute, though in the possession and enjoyment of the school and used as playground since more than 25 years, really belongs to the Government as it is a playground poramboke that the Collector is empowered to give this land for the purpose of locating a pathway or road for the convenience of the Harijans who are living nearby, that the impugned order of the Collector was passed with the concurrence of the Zilla Parishad and that the direction given by the Collector to the School Committee to shift the fencing beyond the pathway of 9 feet width is not shown to be in any way detrimental to the functioning of the High School or the playground. Further, it is contended that the writ petition by a School Committee, an unregistered association is not maintainable and there is no locus standi for the appellant-petitioner to file the writ petition and the order of the Collector has merged with that of the Government which passed the order after following the procedure prescribed under Section 72 of Andhra Pradesh Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samithis Act and in any event, the impugned orders are administrative orders but not quasi-judicial orders and the same are not liable to be quashed as the respondents 1 and 2 have ample power and discretion to pass the same.

In fact, the very order passed by the District Collector directs only the School Committee to shift the fencing beyond the pathway of 9 feet width and the very first copy of the order was marked and despatched to the President of the School Committee through the Headmaster of the high school. Even in the petition filed by the Harijans and the first and second paragraphs of the impugned order of the Collector, mention was made of the School Committee and the very action sought to be remedied by the Collector's order is nothing but tat of the School Committee. The language of the order passed by the Collector is clear in this regard and it does not lie in the mouth of the respondents 1 and 2 as well as the respondents 4 and 5 to raise this technical objection of locus standi and the maintainability of the writ petition for the first time at this stage.