In Brief
In this land acquisition case, the Supreme Court considered the adequacy of compensation awarded for acquired lands fit for use as house sites, situated near a national highway. The High Court had reduced compensation from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 1,670 per cent. The Court held that compensation must reflect the land's potential and be assessed using comparable sales of similarly situated adjacent properties, not dissimilar lands separated by barriers. The Court restored the lower court's award of Rs. 2,500 per cent, relying on nearby sales at Rs. 4,000+ per cent, finding the land's location near developed areas and national highway justified higher valuation than the dissimilar reference property used by the Land Acquisition Officer.
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