In Brief
In this civil appeal, the Supreme Court addressed whether land acquisition proceedings lapse under the 2013 land acquisition law when a court had previously granted an interim order staying coercive action. The Delhi Development Authority had acquired land in 1986 but the property owners contested the acquisition in 2015, relying on a 2014 law providing for automatic lapse of old proceedings under certain conditions. The High Court agreed the acquisition had lapsed. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that the period during which the court's stay order was active must be excluded from the five-year inaction period. Since the stay was continuously in effect, the proceedings did not lapse. The Court also clarified that mere possession by owners does not invalidate acquisition if compensation was properly tendered.",
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