Cuttack, Jan. 18: Orissa High Court today quashed a notification issued by the state revenue department, making it mandatory for litigants to file their land disputes appeals directly to the court of the board of revenue.

The single bench of Justice A.S. Naidu reacted to a PIL arising out of a petition, which said the notification was illegal as it encroached upon statutory provisions of existing revenue laws in the state without bringing in any amendment to them. Himanshu Choudhury, a lawyer, had filed the PIL.

While quashing the notification the high court endorsed the PIL’s claim that the new system made the process of disposal of appeals cumbersome and costly for the litigants.