In Brief
Land was acquired in 2007 for a power plant project. The Land Acquisition Collector initially awarded Rs. 16,00,000 per acre compensation. The High Court enhanced this to Rs. 29,00,400 per acre based on four sale deeds. The Supreme Court partly allowed the Company's appeal and dismissed the owners' cross-appeals. The Court held that a sale deed of just one marla (a very small plot) should not be used to value large agricultural tracts, as small plots are sold for non-agricultural purposes at inflated rates. Taking the subsequent 2010 sale deeds as valid evidence but applying an additional 15% deduction for development costs (beyond the High Court's 12% time-depreciation deduction), the Court fixed compensation at Rs. 25,00,000 per acre plus statutory benefits."
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