CASE NAME	State Of Saurashtra vs Jamadar Mohamad Abdulla And Ors.
CITATION	1962 AIR 445
COURT	Supreme Court of India
Bench	S.K. Das, Bhuvneshwar P. Sinha, A.K. Sarkar, N. Rajagopala Ayyangar, J.R. Mudholkar
Date of Decision	3 October, 1961

INTRODUCTION

The case State of Saurashtra v. Jamadar Mohamad Abdulla & Ors. (1961) is a significant decision by India’s Supreme Court on the idea of act of state and the justiciability of sovereign actions in municipal courts. The conflict began with the incorporation of the princely state of Junagadh into India in 1947. Prior to independence, the Nawab of Junagadh distributed land and property to private individuals, including the respondents. However, after India took administrative control of Junagadh and eventually merged with the United State of Saurashtra in 1949, the newly appointed Administrator issued orders cancelling these grants and reclaiming possession of the assets. The respondents contested the orders, claiming that they had been dispossessed of their property without legal authority.

The main legal question in this case was whether the restoration of these funds constituted an act of the state, making it beyond the jurisdiction of municipal courts. The Supreme Court, citing prior decisions, ruled that the acquisition of Junagadh was a political act, and that until full sovereignty was achieved in 1949, all administrative actions performed by the Indian government were considered acts of state and were not open to judicial review. The decision reaffirmed the notion that rights under a past sovereign are not inherently enforceable under a new sovereign unless specifically recognised.

FACTS

The case State of Saurashtra v. Jamadar Mohamad Abdulla & Ors. (1961) emerged after Junagadh was integrated into India following the Nawab’s departure in 1947. Before independence, the Nawab granted lands and properties to a variety of people, including the replies. After India acquired administrative authority of Junagadh, the newly appointed Administrator issued orders cancelling the grants and taking possession of the properties between 1947 and 1949. The respondents filed civil cases, claiming that their property had been taken without legal authority and seeking the restoration of their rights.

The State of Saurashtra defended its conduct, stating that the reinstatement of these grants was part of a State act that cannot be challenged in municipal court. The respondents replied that after sovereignty was established, they became Indian citizens, and their property rights were guaranteed by law. The Supreme Court’s primary question was whether these administrative measures were legally challengeable or protected by the notion of act of state.

ISSUES

The key issue was whether the cancellation of land grants and resumption of properties by the Administrator of Junagadh between 1947 and 1949 constituted an act of State, making it non-justiciable in municipal courts.

ARGUMENTS FROM BOTH SIDES 

The State of Saurashtra maintained that resuming land grants constituted a state act because Junagadh was not fully integrated into India till January 20, 1949. It claimed that actions committed prior to this date were part of India’s accession of sovereignty, and hence beyond the jurisdiction of municipal courts. The State also relied on precedents that established that rights under a past sovereign are not automatically recognised by the new sovereign unless expressly conferred.

The respondents claimed that when India seized administrative control of Junagadh on November 9, 1947, they were Indian nationals and could not be dispossessed of their property without legal justification. They claimed that the Administrator had acted improperly and that the restoration of grants violated their enforceable rights. They further argued that because the instructions were given in the name of the government, they could not be considered as acts of state, but rather as executive activities open to court review.

DECISION

The Supreme Court ruled that the Administrator of Junagadh’s revocation of land grants and resumption of properties constituted an act of the state and so could not be challenged in municipal court. The Court concluded that India did not acquire full de jure sovereignty over Junagadh until it was included into the United State of Saurashtra on January 20, 1949. Until then, Junagadh’s administration was purely political, and any activities performed at that time were beyond judicial review.

The Court further noted that rights under the former sovereign do not automatically transfer to the new sovereign unless explicitly recognised. Because the respondents failed to demonstrate that their land grants were recognised by the Indian government, their claims were not legally enforceable. The appeals were granted, and the respondents’ lawsuits were dismissed.

ANALYSIS

The Supreme Court’s decision in State of Saurashtra v. Jamadar Mohamad Abdulla & Ors. (1961) reinforced the notion of act of state, emphasising that actions committed by a sovereign during the process of gaining new territory are immune from judicial review. By distinguishing between de facto administrative authority and de jure sovereignty, the Court made it clear that property rights under a previous ruler do not automatically convert into enforceable rights under a new government unless specifically recognised. This case highlighted municipal courts’ limited role in resolving conflicts stemming from territory transfers.

Furthermore, the decision reaffirmed the notion that individuals cannot seek constitutional or statutory protections for rights not recognised by the new sovereign. While this decision protected state authority in transitional government, it also raised concerns about the absence of legal remedies for anyone affected by such administrative measures. The case establishes a major precedent in Indian law regarding state succession and the non-justiciability of sovereign choices made during political integration.