SWARN SINGH Vs. UOI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) These eight appeals arise out of the judgments of the learned Reference Court in respect of different References made by the Land Acquisition Collector under Section 18 of the Land Acquisition Act( the Act in short) in respect of the lands belonging to the appellants in village Jaitpur acquired vide Award No.1/1994-95 pursuant to notification dated 16/10/1992 under Section 4 of the Act.Since same points were involved in all the appeals they were heard together and now are being disposed of also together by this common judgment.

(2.) Vide award no.1/94-95 dated 26/03/93 the Land Acquisition Collector(LAC) fixed the market value of the acquired lands of the appellants herein in village Jaitpur @ Rs.96,875/- lacs per bigha. Dissatisfied with the said land rate fixed by the LAC, the landowners-appellants got references made to the District Judge under section 18 of the Act. The learned Reference Court assessed the market value of the lands in question at Rs.6,51,000/- per acre by giving increase @ 12% p.a. upon the market value of the land in the same village fixed in respect of earlier notification dated 02/06/89 at Rs.4,65,000/- per acre which was treated as the base rate. The learned Reference Court did not accept the sale deeds/awards/judgements relied upon by the appellants pertaining to other villages on the ground that those villages were far away from village Jaitpur.

(3.) The appellants were not satisfied with the market value of their lands determined by the learned Reference Court also and so they approached this Court by filing the present appeals under Section 54 of the Act and have claimed fixation of the market value of their acquired lands @ Rs.300/- per sq.yd.