In Brief
The legal heirs of a landowner appealed against a High Court order that reduced land acquisition compensation from Rs. 6,24,956 (at multiplier 15) to a lower amount (at multiplier 8). The Supreme Court held that the principle from State of Haryana v. Gurcharan Singh—limiting multipliers to 8 to prevent double compensation—does not apply when compensation is based solely on annual value without including market value. Considering the small land parcel (0.81 acres), meager compensation, and fruit-bearing trees involved, the Court restored the original multiplier of 15 and directed additional compensation within two months.
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