In Brief
The Supreme Court allowed the appeal by the Ayodhya Faizabad Development Authority against a High Court judgment that had declared land acquisition proceedings lapsed under Section 24(2) of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. The High Court had held that compensation deposited in the Treasury (rather than Court) did not constitute valid payment to landowners. The Supreme Court, applying its decision in Indore Development Authority, held that once possession of land has been taken and compensation deposited (even in Treasury), the acquisition proceedings cannot lapse. The Court clarified that Section 24(2)'s lapse provision requires both the absence of possession AND non-payment of compensation; the presence of either defeats the lapse claim. The High Court's judgment was quashed and the writ petition dismissed."
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