In Brief
The Karnal Improvement Trust acquired land in 1973 for a public project under the Punjab Town Improvement Act. The Land Acquisition Officer awarded compensation at Rs. 200-100 per sq. yard in 1976. A tribunal later set it at Rs. 1336/- per sq. yard, which the High Court affirmed. The Supreme Court held that compensation should be determined under the 1976 law (not later amendments), and based on comparable sales transactions, Rs. 1000/- per sq. yard was appropriate rather than the lower Rs. 580/- or higher Rs. 1336/-. The Court rejected the direction for shop allotments as beyond the reference court's jurisdiction, which was limited to determining compensation alone. The appeals were disposed of with compensation at Rs. 1000/- per sq. yard.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.