In Brief
The Supreme Court clarified the conditions for deemed lapse of land acquisition proceedings under Section 24(2) of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. The Court held that for proceedings to lapse, two conditions must both be satisfied: possession must not have been taken AND compensation must not have been paid. If either condition is met—such as when possession has already been taken—the acquisition cannot lapse merely because compensation was not paid in the prescribed manner. The Court quashed the High Court's judgment that had declared the acquisition lapsed based solely on non-payment of compensation.
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