In Brief
A landowner challenged the High Court's determination of market value for agricultural land acquired for establishing a grain market in Punjab. The High Court had valued the land at Rs.90/- per sq. yard (plus statutory benefits), reducing the Reference Court's value of Rs.140/-, Rs.120/-, and Rs.100/- per sq. yard across three property categories. The appellant contended the land's proximity to the highway justified higher compensation. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that the High Court correctly rejected post-notification sale deeds as inappropriate comparables, properly determined a uniform value for all acquired properties with similar road access, and appropriately applied pre-notification sales with inflation adjustments to arrive at the market value.
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