In Brief
The appellants, legal representatives of a deceased landowner, challenged the dismissal of their application for enhanced compensation in a Delhi land acquisition case. The original award (1981) was not served on them, and they only received compensation 18 years later. Their application for re-determination under Section 18 was rejected as time-barred. The Supreme Court held that despite the limitation bar on Section 18, they retain the right to apply under Section 28-A for compensation based on amounts awarded to similarly situated landowners. Invoking Article 142, the Court granted them three months to apply, considering their illiteracy and lack of procedural awareness, to ensure substantial justice.
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