Mandamus issued to finalize land demarcation and record updates within statutory timeline despite administrative delays.

The petitioner sought a writ of mandamus due to the inaction of respondent authorities regarding his application for the demarcation of land under Khasra Nos. 468/1-C and 468/1-E in Village Baikunthpur

The petitioner’s title was affirmed by a Civil Court in 2019, and the land was subsequently mutated in his name with online numbering completed

On 30.12.2019, the petitioner applied for demarcation under Section 129 of the C.G. Land Revenue Code

Although the Tehsildar issued an order on 22.02.2021 directing the Revenue Inspector and Patwari to correct records and conduct the demarcation, no action was taken by the authorities for over three years, leading to the current petition

1. Whether the respondent authorities' failure to execute an order for demarcation and renumbering of land records constitutes an actionable failure of statutory duty

2. Whether the petitioner is entitled to a time-bound direction for the disposal of his pending demarcation application

Section 129 of the Chhattisgarh Land Revenue Code, which prescribes the procedure for the demarcation of boundaries of survey numbers or sub-divisions of survey numbers

Article 226 of the Constitution of India, which empowers the High Court to issue writs for the enforcement of legal rights and the performance of public duties by authorities

The court observed that the petitioner’s legal right to demarcation was established through his title confirmed by a civil decree and subsequent mutation

The court noted that the Tehsildar had already acknowledged the necessity of the request by passing an order on 22.02.2021

However, despite the existence of this specific direction, the field-level revenue officials (Revenue Inspector and Patwari) failed to comply

The court found that such "inaction on the part of the revenue authorities... cannot be appreciated" as it leaves the petitioner's statutory application indefinitely pending without justification

While the State argued that the process involves complex technical verification of maps, the court determined that the delay since 2021 was unreasonable and necessitated judicial intervention to ensure the completion of the statutory exercise

The Court specifically ordered the Tehsildar to enforce the earlier order dated 22.02.2021, ensure all necessary demarcation steps are completed, and provide a fair hearing to all concerned parties. The entire exercise is mandated to be completed within 60 days