In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the land acquisition of agricultural property in Veerapur Village for a rehabilitation project, but enhanced the awarded compensation. The Government had fixed the compensation at Rs. 24,500 per acre in 2006; the High Court raised it to Rs. 1,56,000 per acre applying a 5% escalation over nine years. The appellants sought further enhancement. The Court granted condonation for delay in filing the special leave petition, adopting a liberal approach suitable for villagers unfamiliar with legal procedures, and enhanced compensation to Rs. 2,35,795 per acre by applying 10% cumulative annual escalation to reflect the land's development potential. However, no interest was awarded for the litigation delay period.
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