In Brief
After Himachal Pradesh abolished big landed estates in 1955, landholdings exceeding Rs. 125 annual revenue automatically vested in the State, except for personally cultivated land. Late Jagirdar Rajinder Singh's 1011 bighas vested in the State; only 64 bighas remained his. He received compensation three times: under the Abolition Act (1966), Ceiling Act (1980), and Land Acquisition Act (1987)—all for the same vested land. The Supreme Court held that once land vests and compensation is received, no further claims are valid. Fraud vitiates proceedings; the respondent's withdrawal of earlier suits admitting vesting created estoppel. The Court directed refund of all compensation received under the Land Acquisition Act with 12% interest.
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