In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld an auction sale of Ludhiana Improvement Trust's property conducted three decades ago. The property was auctioned to recover compensation owed to land owners under the Land Acquisition Act, 1984. The High Court had set aside the auction citing irregularities. The Court held that a bona fide auction purchaser enjoys protection even if irregularities exist, unless fraud is proved. Since the Trust failed to raise objections at multiple procedural stages and failed to comply with deposit requirements, it could not later challenge the sale. The Court emphasized that procedural rules cannot be disregarded merely because the judgment debtor is a public body, and that established execution procedures must be strictly followed."
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