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The main ground on which the High Court has allowed the revisions of respondents 3 and 5 and dismissed the Form 7 applications of the 1st appellant b. Rudraiah is that the said application for grant of occupancy right was filed on 7.3.1984 beyond the period prescribed by Section 48-A of the Karnataka Land Reforms act, 1961 (hereinafter called the Land Reforms Act, 1961). The said provision in Section 48-A was introduced by Karnataka Act 1 of 1979 (with effect from 1.3.1974) fixing time limit for filing applications under Section 45 for registration as "occupants" before the Tribunal. These words introduced by the amending Act 1 of 1979 fixing time limit read as follows:

We shall now refer to the rival contentions of the parties in the appeals before us.

It is contended by the learned counsel for the appellants Sri. R.S. Hegde that the provision in section 48- A prescribing limitation has to be considered liberally in favour of tenants and the period is to be extended. It is also contended alternatively that unless the claims regarding re-grant of the emoluments of the village office under Sections 5 of the Village Officers (Abolition) Act, 1961 were finally decided by the concerned authorities under that Act, the period of limitation fixed under Section 48-A of the Land Reforms Act, 1961 did not start, inasmuch as it is not possible to specify who the landlord is. He contends that the application under Section 45 in Form 7 requires the name of landlords to be specified and that if it is not known who the landlords are until the case under section 5 of the Village Officer's emoluments is finally decided, time does not start till that question is finally decided. yet another contention is that affect 1.2.1963, when the village offices stood abolished and when under Section 4(3) of that Act the emoluments of the village office stood automatically resumed, the lands stood vested in the Government under Section 4 of that Act and therefore became 'government lands'. Consequently, under Section 107 of the Land Reforms Act, 1961 these lands were not covered by the said Land Reforms Act. if they were not so covered, then the time limit in Section 48-A of that Act, relating to filing of applications by tenants for occupancy did not also apply. Contention is that the said provisions under Section 45 and Section 48-A operated - by virtue of Section 126 of the Land Reforms Act, 1961 - only from the dates on which the question of re - grant to favour of the erstwhile village officers was finally decided. Hence it is argued that the provision relating to the period of limitation mentioned in Section 48-A of the Land Reforms Act, 1961 namely 6 months from the commencement of Section 1 of Karnataka Land Reforms Amendment Act. 1978 (Act1/1979) - did not come into operation till 22.1.1985 when Kittamma's CRP 300 of 1985 was dismissed or when appellants CRP 653 of 1985 was dismissed on 20.7.1989. yet another contention is that amendment to section 126 by Land Reforms Act introduced by act 1/79 is not classificatory.

(2) Can the appellant rely on Section 5 and 8 of the Village Officer (Abolition) Act, 1961 and Rule 4 Karnataka Village Offices Abolition Rules, 1961 read with Section 107 and 126 of the Land Reforms Act, 1961 and Form 7 under that Act, to contend that unless the rights of recontend that unless the rights of regrant to the erstwhile village officers under Section 5 of the Village Offices(Abolition) Act, 1961 is finally decided, the limitation under Section 46-A of the land Reforms Act, 1961 does not commence?

Further, even if it was not possible to add such a Note, there is a clear provision in Section 48-A read with Rule 19(1) for a public notice in Form 8 addressed to all other persons entitled to be registered as occupants under Section 45 and to all Landlords of such lands and all other persons interested in such lands. Unfortunately, the 1st appellant did not avail of such a procedure which was clearly available and permissible. We may also state that in an application under Section 45 as present din Form 7, the tenant who claims occupancy rights mouser prove his possession as tenant before 1.3.1974. Even if the names of landlords are not known, the provision for public notice protects the rights to natural justice of landlords or persons interested in the lands, whose names are not known to the tenant applicant and not shown in Form 7. There is therefore no such difficulty as imagined by the 1st appellant in the matter of filing an application under Form 7 before 30.6.1979.