In Brief
These consolidated appeals concern enhancement of compensation for pomegranate trees acquired for the Telugu Ganga/Somashila Project between 1990–1994. The High Court had refused to hear the enhancement claims due to unexplained delay. The Supreme Court held that where claimants are denied statutory benefits for the delay period, a lenient approach to delay condonation is warranted in enhancement cases. The Court fixed compensation at Rs. 3,000 per tree (not Rs. 2,000), aligning with an earlier judgment for the same project, and remitted one case to the High Court for merit review. Statutory benefits were denied only for the delay period."
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