In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the collector's appeal against a High Court judgment that had declared land acquisition proceedings lapsed under Section 24(2) of the Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act, 2013. The Court held that proceedings do not lapse merely because compensation was not paid if possession of the land had been taken. Section 24(2) applies only to proceedings pending when the 2013 Act came into force (1 January 2014), and deemed lapse occurs only when both possession and compensation are absent for five years. The judgment overruled prior conflicting case law, following a Constitution Bench decision in Indore Development Authority."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.