In Brief
The State of Himachal Pradesh challenged the High Court's decision upholding a Reference Court's award of uniform compensation at Rs. 7.00 lakhs per bigha for 18-15 bighas of acquired land. The Court held that the Reference Court erred by relying on the sale of one biswa by a claimant himself to fix compensation for a much larger extent of land. The Supreme Court ruled that when comparable sales within the same village are unavailable, the Reference Court may consider sales in adjoining villages. The judgment allowed the State's appeals, set aside the uniform rate, and remitted the matter for fresh adjudication based on proper valuation methods and land classification."
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