In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the Belting System methodology for valuing 300+ acres of land acquired for urban development in Haryana, rejecting arguments that compensation should be based on small-plot sales (measured in square yards). The court enhanced compensation from the High Court's award: to Rs. 45 lacs per acre (instead of Rs. 33 lacs) for road-abutting land, and Rs. 35 lacs per acre (instead of Rs. 24.75 lacs) for interior land. The court held that comparable sales of small plots cannot reliably determine values for large land blocks, and that lands sold shortly before acquisition solely to inflate compensation claims should be rejected as fictitious.
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