In Brief
The Supreme Court determined compensation for a 45-hectare agricultural land acquired by the Union of India for defence research. The High Court had fixed compensation at Rs. 6 per square foot with 33% deduction for development charges based on comparable sales of smaller developed plots. The Court upheld the Rs. 6 per square foot rate but increased the development deduction to 40%, recognizing that small developed plots on highways cannot be directly compared to large undeveloped agricultural tracts. The judgment emphasizes that substantial deductions are necessary when using small developed exemplars to value large undeveloped land, considering factors like land extent, development status, and acquisition purpose.
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