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REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO 11177 OF 2011

RATTI RAM … APPELLANT(S)

VERSUS

UNION OF INDIA  AND ANOTHER … RESPONDENT(S)

WITH

CIVIL APPEAL NO. 11178 OF 2011

J U D G M E N T

KURIAN, J.:

1. In land acquisition proceedings pertaining to Award  No. 79 of 1982-1983 in respect of the land belonging to  the appellants, this Court finally fixed the land value  at the rate of Rs. 76, 550/- per Bigha, in the Judgment  dated 03.08.2004 in  Delhi Development Authority  v.  Bali  Ram Sharma and Other1.  1

(2004) 6 SCC 533

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2. Once the land value is fixed by the Court, it refers  to the value of the land as per the Award passed by the  Collector.  That  should  carry  all  eligible  statutory  benefits.  It  appears  that  in  the  case  before  us,  statutory benefits have been denied for a short period on  the ground that the proceedings initiated at the instance  of the appellants, remained stayed before the Reference  Court.  To  quote  from  Paragraph-4  of  the  impugned  judgment:   

“Learned  Counsel  for  the  appellant,  however, had submitted that the learned  

trial court was not justified in declining  

the  relief  of  interest  on  the  enhanced  

compensation for the period during which  

the  reference  proceedings  had  remained  

stayed sine die and that relief at least  

should be given by this Court. However,  

this  prayer  of  the  appellant  cannot  be  

accepted  since  he  himself  had  got  his  

reference  proceedings  before  the  trial  

Court stayed sine die and the Government  

cannot be burdened with the liability of

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interest for the delay in disposal of the  

reference  proceedings  caused  by  the  

appellant himself.”

3. We fail to understand how the appellants could be  denied the statutory benefits available under the Land  Acquisition Act, 1894 (hereinafter referred to as “the  Act”) in respect of the value of this land fixed, merely  because there was a period of stay operating, may be in a  proceeding at the instance of the appellants. Those are  not  relevant  considerations  or  factors  at  all  for  the  purpose  of  grant  of  statutory  benefits  available  to  a  person, whose land has been acquired in terms of Section  28 of the Act. Section 28 reads as under:  

“28.  Collector  may  be  directed  to  pay  

interest on excess compensation. If the  

sum which, in the opinion of the Court,  

the Collector ought to have awarded as  

compensation  is  in  excess  of  the  sum  

which  the  Collector  did  award  as  

compensation, the award of the Court may  

direct  that  the  Collector  shall  pay

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interest on such excess at the rate of  

nine per centum per annum from the date  

on which he took possession of the land  

to the date of payment of such excess  

into Court:

Provided that the award of the Court may  

also  direct  that  where  such  excess  or  

any  part  thereof  is  paid  into  Court  

after the date of expiry of a period of  

one  year  from  the  date  on  which  

possession  is  taken,  interest  at  the  

rate  of  fifteen  per  centum  per  annum  

shall be payable from the date of expiry  

of the said period of one year on the  

amount  of  such  excess  or  part  thereof  

which  has  not  been  paid  into  Court  

before the date of such expiry.”

4. There is no exclusion of any period contemplated on  whatever account under Section 28 of the Act. The only  reference is to the date of dispossession. Liability to  pay  interest  starts  to  run  from  that  date.  Therefore,  these  appeals  are  allowed.  It  is  directed  that  the

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appellants  shall  be  entitled  to  interest  for  the  compensation, as per Section 28 r/w Section 23(1A), in  respect  of  the  land  acquired  from  the  appellants,  on  value at the rate of Rs. 76, 550/- per  Bigha for the  period of stay also, i.e., from 24.04.1997 to 27.09.2001.  

5. We direct the Delhi Development Authority to compute  the  amounts  as  above  and  deposit  the  same  before  the  Executing Court within a period of four weeks from today  which  shall  disburse  the  amounts  to  the  appellants  in  accordance with law.

6. There shall be no order as to costs.

...............J.  [KURIAN JOSEPH]  

...............J. [ROHINTON FALI NARIMAN]

New Delhi; February 17, 2016.