In Brief
The State challenged the High Court's decision to award Rs. 40 lakhs per acre compensation for land acquired in 2008 for the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. The High Court had relied primarily on a consent award (Ex.P.17) from 2011 for a different purpose (railway construction). The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred by mechanically relying on this later consent award without considering the three-year gap, different acquisition purpose, and locational differences. The Court quashed the High Court's judgment and remanded the matter for fresh reconsideration of all material evidence, excluding Ex.P.17 as a basis for comparison."
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