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Supreme Court of India

SPECIAL LAND ACQUISITION OFFICER, BANGALOREversusSRI DYAVAPPA AND ORS.

Citation
1995 INSC 513
Decided
29 August 1995
Disposal
Dismissed

Holding

The Supreme Court upheld the reference and High Court awards, finding the sale deed appropriate for determining compensation and refusing to consider the unraised objection regarding the phot‑kharab land.

Summary

The Special Land Acquisition Officer acquired 7.14 cents of land near Bangalore for an agricultural university. The Collector awarded Rs 12,000 per acre for 5.20 cents of agricultural land and Rs 1,000 per acre for 1.34 cents treated as phot‑kharab land. On reference under s.18, the Court relied on a sale deed dated 24‑Feb‑1975 of a similarly situated parcel (1.8 cents, sold at Rs 50,000 per acre) and fixed compensation at Rs 42,500 per acre. The Karnataka High Court affirmed this award. The appellant argued that the referenced land was not similarly situated because it lay 2‑3 furlongs away and that the award for the phot‑kharab land was unjustified, but the Supreme Court held that the High Court had correctly considered the proximity and that the second contention was not raised in earlier proceedings, so it could not be entertained. Consequently, the appeals were dismissed.

Issues considered

  • The sale deed of land situated 2‑3 furlongs from the acquired land can be treated as evidence of a "similarly situated" parcel for compensation purposes.
  • The award of Rs 42,500 per acre for the phot‑kharab portion of the land is justified, and whether this issue could be raised for the first time before the Supreme Court.

Legislation cited

Subjects

Land acquisitionCompensationReference courtSimilarly situated landPhot‑kharab landAppealSupreme Court

Judgment

A         SPECIAL LAND ACQUISITION OFFICER, BANGALORE
                                         v.
                          SRI DYAVAPPA AND ORS.

                                AUGUST 29, 1995

B               [K. RAMASWAMY AND B.L. HANSARIA, JJ.)

          Land Acquisition Act, 1894:

          Land Acquisition-Compensation-Reference Cowt-Reliance on sale
C deed for similarly situated land and enhancement of compensation accord-
    ingly--mnfinnation of award by High Cowt-Held valid.

         Practice and procedur~Raising fresh plea in appeal before Supreme
    Court-Held not pe1111issible.

D         For acquisition of Ac.7.14 cents of land belonging to the respondents,
    the Collector awarded compensation for the agriculture land to the extent
    of Ac.5.20 cents @ Rs.12,000 per acre and for Ac.1.34 he awarded @ Rs ..
    1,000 per acre treating the same as phot khatab land. The Reference
    Court relied upon a sale deed dated February 24, 1975 for similarly
    situated lands purchased for setting up of a factory and awarded Rs.
E
    42,500 per acre. The High Court confirmed the judgment of the Reference
    Court. Hence these appeals.

          Dismissing the appeals, this Court

F          HELD : 1. There is no force in the contention that award of compen-
    sation relying upon the sale deed dated February
                                              \
                                                       24, 1975 was not justified
    because the lands under sale deed are situated away from the acquired
    lands and are thus not similarly situated. The High Court has considered
    the fact that the lands are nearer to the Bangalore-Mysore Road and near
G   about the lands where Coca Cola factory is established. Finding these
    circumstances favourable to the respondents, the High CotJrt confirmed
    the award of Reference Court. [145-E; G-H]

         2. The contention that the courts below were not justified in awarding
    compensation at the rate of Rs. 42, 500 for Ac. 1.34 cents which is phot-
H   kharab when the agriculture lands also had been awarded at the rate of
                                        144
               SPL.LANDACQN.OFFICER v. DYAVAPPA                            145

Rs. 42,500 per acre, cannot be agreed to because it was neither raised in         A
the High Court nor was it raised in the ground of appeal in this Court.
                                                               [146-B-C]

      CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal Nos. 2573-74
of 1980.
                                                                                  B
     From the Judgment and Order dated 7.9.79 of the Karnataka High
Court in M.F.A. Nos. 1198 & 1199 of 1978.

      M. Veerappa for the Appellant.

     S.S. Javali, Ranjit Kumar, Bimal Roy and J.Y. Mohan for the                  C
Respondents.

      The following Order of the Court was delivered :

      A notification under s.4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act (for short
'the Act') was published on October 6, 1975 acquiring Ac.7.14 cents of land       D
near Bangalore for Agriculture University. Pursuant to the notice under
ss.9 and 10, the respondents claimed compensation at the rate of Rs. 60,000
per acre. The Land Acquisition Collector awarded compensation for the
agriculture land to the extent of Ac. 5.20· cents, @ Rs. 12,000 per acre and
for Ac. 1.34, he awarded @ Rs. 1,000 per acre, treating the same as
phot-kharab land. On reference under s.18, the Court relying upon a sale          E
deed, Ext. P6 dated February 24, 1975 to an extent of Ac.1.8 cent sold at
RS. 50,000 per acre which was purchased for setting up of a factory,
awarded Rs. 42,500 per acre. Being dissatisfied, the appellant preferred
appeal before the High Court, who by its impugned judgment dated
September 7, 1979 confirmed the same, against which these appeals by              p
special leave have been filed.

      Two contentions have been raised by Mr. M. Veerappa, learned
counsel for the appellant. First it is argued that in view of the fact that the
lands under Ext. P.6 are situated at a distance of 2 to 3 furlongs from the
acquired lands, it ·would be evident that those lands are not similarly           G
situated and, therefore, awarding compensation at the rate of Rs. 42,500
per acre relying on Ext. P.6 is not justified in law. We find no force in the
contention. The High Court has considered the fact that the lands are
nearer to the Bangalore-Mysore Road and near about the lands where
Coca Cola factory is established. Finding these circumstances favourable
to the respondents, the High Court confirmed the award at the rate of Rs.         H
    146                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1995J SUPP. 3 S.C.R.

A   42,500 per acre.

          It was next contended lhat the Reference Court and the High Court
    were not justified in awarding compensation at the rate of Rs. 42,500 for
    Ac.1.34 cents which is phot-kharab when the agricultttre lands also had
    been awarded at the rate of Rs. 42,500 per acre. Though plima f acie we
B   are impressed with this argument but, unfortunately, this contention was
    not raised in the High Court nor the High Court had advantage of going
    into this circumstance. Even the Reference Court judgment has not been
    made part of the record. Therefore, we are unable to know what are the
    grounds that weighed with the reference court to award compensation at
c   the rate of Rs. 42, 500 for the phot-kharab land to the extent of Ac.1.34
    cents. It is also to be seen that this point was not raised in th~ grounds of
    appeal in this Court.

         In these circumstances, we are constrained not to agree with the
    contentions raised by the appellant. The appeals are accordingly dismissed.
    No costs.

    T.N.A.                                                   Appeals dismissed.


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