In Brief
The appellants challenged the High Court's refusal to grant a reference under Section 18 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, for enhanced compensation on the ground that their application was time-barred. The Supreme Court held that where a specific request for reference is made within six months (even if detailed grounds are furnished later), it should be treated as a proper application. The Court allowed the appeal partly, directing the Land Acquisition Collector to make a reference within four weeks, with the proviso that no interest would be payable on any enhancement from the date of receipt of compensation to the date of filing the special leave petition.
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