In Brief
The Supreme Court held that a person who purchases land after the government issues a notification to acquire it under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 cannot later claim the acquisition has lapsed under the 2013 Act. The purchaser acquired the property through a void sale deed and has no legal title. Only the original owner at the time of the acquisition notice can claim restoration rights or contest the proceedings. The court overruled a prior High Court decision allowing the purchaser's petition, emphasising that subsequent purchasers are not intended beneficiaries of the 2013 Act and cannot benefit from transactions that are inherently void under law.
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