In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed whether principles from the Land Acquisition Act apply to disputes under the National Highways Act. The Court held that the statutory schemes are fundamentally different. Under the Land Acquisition Act, an officer's award cannot be challenged by the government; under the National Highways Act, an amount determined by the authority may be referred to arbitration if either party contests it. The Court set aside judgments that mechanically applied Land Acquisition principles and remanded the cases for decision under the Arbitration Act by the High Court, noting numerous dependent cases requiring expedited resolution.
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