In Brief
Landowners challenged the High Court's determination of compensation for land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. Their land in village Rawali was acquired following a Section 4 notification on 16.05.1981. The High Court awarded Rs. 7,100 per acre, but claimants sought Rs. 15,402 per acre—the compensation awarded by the Reference Court in a comparable case involving adjacent land from the same village, where the Section 4 notification was issued seven months later (19.12.1981). The Supreme Court held that given the proximate location, minimal time gap, and the State's acceptance of the comparable award, the claimants were entitled to Rs. 15,402 per acre. The appeal was allowed and the judgment modified accordingly.
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